Anyone Got Any Experience With Belontia Hasselti?

[severum boy]

Hi all,
I posted this a short while ago in the anabantids forum, but got no replys and little interest.
I am thinking of getting some for a 30gal larger community tank with some rainbow fish, Cichlasoma sp. aff. bolivense, and kissing gouramis as well as some cats and a plec.
All I want to know is if they are relivilely easy to keep and breed, and if they will live with the oher residents.
Thanks for any help any one can give.
Max.

 

[Fruitbat]

I currently have three Belontia hasselti which I keep in a tank with a pair of Belontia signata, an Anabas testudineus and some loaches. B. hasselti is not as aggressive as their close cousins (B. signata) but they certainly have managed to hold their own. They are fairly easy to take care of...eating practically anything except plants...and they seem to be fairly tolerant of water conditions as long as the water is kept 'clean' (no nitrites or ammonia).

My current trio haven't given any indication of spawning but they're not mature fish so that's to be expected. Keep in mind that the fish you're talking about (including the B. hasselti) will eventually out-grow a 30 gallon aquarium.

-Joe

 

[severum boy]

I currently have three Belontia hasselti which I keep in a tank with a pair of Belontia signata, an Anabas testudineus and some loaches. B. hasselti is not as aggressive as their close cousins (B. signata) but they certainly have managed to hold their own. They are fairly easy to take care of...eating practically anything except plants...and they seem to be fairly tolerant of water conditions as long as the water is kept 'clean' (no nitrites or ammonia).

My current trio haven't given any indication of spawning but they're not mature fish so that's to be expected. Keep in mind that the fish you're talking about (including the B. hasselti) will eventually out-grow a 30 gallon aquarium.

-Joe

Woohoo a reply! Thanks for the help Joe.
I heard signata can be aggressive and that hasselti were nicer to other fish, but just wanted to check how far the similarities run. I have a friend with a large 125 gal to whom I can remove the larger fish. I dont realy see the rainbows and bolivense outgrowing the tank. The cats will be a clown plec or two as well as a couple of Hoplos (or similar species).
Where did you get the hasselti from? And how much did they cost if you dont mind?
Thanks, Max.

 

[Fruitbat]

Max...

I purchased the B. hasselti at a local fish store here in the Dallas, Texas area. The cost was about $6.00 U.S. each. They came in labeled as 'Mosaic Gouramis' and were quite small. The patterning in the fins was just beginning to show up which is what immediately identified them for me. Belontia signata is definitely on the VERY aggressive side as far as its behavior is concerned. The male of my pair killed a number of Tiger Barbs and a big male Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis). The B. hasselti aren't anywhere near as foul-tempered but have managed to hold their own against both of the B. signata.

It is good to hear that you already have a way to take care of the fish that will eventually out-grow your 30 gallon. I suppose that the reason you haven't had many replies to your question is that very few people actually keep the Belontia species since they're rarely available. Belontia signata is on the IUCN 'Red List of Threatened Species' as "Lower Risk Conservation Dependent".

Here's a picture of one of my B. hasselti:

-Joe

 

[severum boy]

I purchased the B. hasselti at a local fish store here in the Dallas, Texas area. The cost was about $6.00 U.S. each. They came in labeled as 'Mosaic Gouramis' and were quite small. The patterning in the fins was just beginning to show up which is what immediately identified them for me. Belontia signata is definitely on the VERY aggressive side as far as its behavior is concerned. The male of my pair killed a number of Tiger Barbs and a big male Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis). The B. hasselti aren't anywhere near as foul-tempered but have managed to hold their own against both of the B. signata.

Thanks again Joe.
Thats quite a good price, how big are they now? How long ago did you get them?

 

[Fruitbat]

I've had them about 18 months and they've gone from slightly over two inches to nearly 5 inches in that span of time. I don't know what the typical price is on them because this is only the second time I've ever found them for sale in the 40+ years I've been in the hobby. I don't think the folks at the local fish store had any idea of what they were ordering when they ordered 'mosaic gouramis'. This is the same store, by the way, where I purchased my Belontia signata, which came in as 'red gouramis'. The store practically gave me my pair because they were destroying every other fish they tried to put them in with.

-Joe