Badis Badis

[nadajdui]

Saw some of these at my lfs today, and was wondering about them. I've sifted around on the net a little, but didn't come up with too much useful info.
Has any one here had these cute lil guys?

 

[starrynightxxi]

hmm.. well, what i have are the badis bengalensis, which are slightly different, but anyhow, they're small. [edit] badis badis, according to one site, may reach 2+ inches. they won't even look at flake food so you'll have to feed live or frozen. males are territorial and will claim corners, prime territory seems to have a lot of ground cover. they will defend their territory against other males, obviously, and this USUALLY consists merely of flaring their fins then chasing the subordinate out and returning, but they will fight on occasion and it can be pretty rough (they are cousins of the anabantoids and behave a lot like gouramis and wild bettas)

you would probably be better off keeping males singly or in groups of 3+ to spread out the aggression. I have two bengalensis in a twenty gallon and they are not friends at all.

also, they are slow eaters. i've watched mine stare at a piece of bloodworm for 20 seconds (that's a long time for a fish to look at a bit of food) before turning and swimming away. I never even saw them eat the first month that I had them, so you'll want to make sure that they are getting enough and not being bullied by faster or stronger fish.

i haven't kept the badis badis so you'll have to excus any possible discrepencies between my fish and those.

 

[nadajdui]

I think, if I remember correctly, the ones I saw were listed as Badis assamensis. They might not be knowing lfs.
I only saw 2 of them there, and I have NO idea how to sex them at all. They don't know anything about them, either.
They would be going into a 33 gallon tank, if I decided to get them. Been running for about 4 or so months now.

 

[starrynightxxi]

hmm.. was this your fish? http/www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=60253

 

[nadajdui]

No picture came up there, not working.
They looked a bit like this, though darker. A lot darker.
http/www.tropicfishcenter.ch/images/Badis%20assamensis.jpg

 

[starrynightxxi]

sorry! i meant to give you a site link but still had a photo address copied.

I found this profile of them. It was on another forum so i can't link it, but here's the info in the post.

Assambadis (Badis assamensis)

(Got any pictures? I'd be happy to use them here...)

Name: Assambadis
Scientific Name: Badis assamensis
Other Name: Dwarf Chameleon Fish
Family: Badidae
Subfamily: Badinae

Distribution: India
Length: 2 and 2/3"
Water Temperature: 75 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (24-29 degrees Celsius)
Diet: These fish are largely (if not exclusively, as some claim) carnivorous and do best when fed live foods (especially worms of all smaller types and brine shrimp).
Water Chemistry: dH 3-16 (closer to 8 is best)
pH: 6-8
Lifespan: 2-4 years

Species Description Described formulaicly at http/www.fishbase.org/physiology/MorphDa...p;autoctr=11987. They are horizontally elongated, but laterally compressed with extremely long notched dorsals, truncated caudals and typically-shaped (for badid fishes, anyway) pectorals and pelvics. Their coloration is somewhat spectacular, but it is hard to describe as overall, they don't have a consistent coloration because of their tendency to change coloring with mood.

These fish differ most from the description of Badis badis by carrying a large dark blotch on the gill cover and two rows of irregularly-shaped black blotches on their side.

Species Behaviour These fish are aggressive, and are not to be trusted with smaller fishes of any type.

They are also fin-nippers, so long-finned fish should not be forced to cohabitate with the Assambadis.

Natural Conditions The neotype (the original type specimen was lost, so they had to redescribe the fish using a new specimen) locality was a sandy-bottomed swampy tributary with stagnant brown water, trees and waterlilies throughout, so plants and hidey-holes should dominate the aquascaping of these fish's tanks.

Natural Range India

Minimum recommended tank size 20 gallons

Water Temperature 75 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (24-29 degrees Celsius)

Water Quality Their aquarium home waters should be within a degree of neutral in terms of pH and somewhere between 3 and 16 in terms of dH. These and other badids are all susceptible to a range of diseases (including "Fish TB"), so variation from the range specified here is to be even more discouraged than such variation for other fishes.

Sexing Males are likely slimmer and have more intense coloration.

Breeding These breed in a manner similarly to that of cave-spawning cichlids. They do best when separated for 7-10 days and then reintroduced to each other in a spawning tank with slightly-acidic to neutral water. Males chase the females in a rough fashion, and then the females finally enter the flowerpot to lay eggs.

After the male engages in fertilization activities, the similarity to cave-spawning cichlids ends, and the parents should thusly be removed. Methylene blue should then be added to the water as an antifungal.

The fry hatch within 72-80 hours and are ready to take small live foods after the absorption of their egg sacs.

Feeding These fish are largely (if not exclusively, as some claim) carnivorous and do best when fed live foods (especially worms of all smaller types and brine shrimp).

Miscellaneous Info Note: I had to treat this like Badis badis in order to write this profile; I used all B. assamensis and B. b. assamensis (its only synonym) info available and filled in the gaps with Badis badis info. Since this species was successfully given care as for its nominate congener, I figured that such was sufficient.

www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Parry_Badis_badis.html
www.fishbase.org
http/www.mongabay.com/fish/badidae.htm

 

[nadajdui]

Right on, thanks

 

[lisa_perry75]

Have a looks in practical fishkeeper issue october