Do they need extra care?

[Morganna]

Hi!
I'm a betta lover but have never owned non-splendens bettas.
I am not looking at getting any at the time, just wanted to cover some information for the future (because I would definitely love to own them one day).
1. So, my big first question is: Where do you buy these "wild type" bettas?
You can go to so many places to find yourself a regular, domestic betta, but what about species like the imbellis?
2. Do they require certain foods? live foods?
3. Specific aquarium requirements (like scaping, size, lighting)
4. Do they need to live in pairs or more?
5. Can they live with other peaceful fish or shrimp?
I think that's all I have for now, Thanks!

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

I know there are some online breeders that ship wilds, not sure of the best ones to use though.

To answer some of your other questions, yes, wild types often require specific parameters, usually much more acidic than most tap water. Their tolerance threshold for pH and gH are much smaller than betta splendens who can do well in water that is neutral or slightly more alkaline.

Live foods are the best nutrition wise and most wilds are fed live foods so getting them to eat frozen or pellets can sometimes be a challenge.

Depending on the species and if you want/can have a pair then tank size will need to be bigger, 20 gallon long is a good size. There are some species that do best in pairs or groups (one male and lots of females) but it really depends on the species, so do plenty of research.

Lots of cover is necessary with wilds since they tend to be shy. A heavily planted tank is usually best with lots of leaf litter to release tannins to help keep the water nice and acidic for them. Bettas in general prefer shady tanks so bright lights wouldn't be suitable for them.

 

[Colin_T]

1. So, my big first question is: Where do you buy these "wild type" bettas?
You can go to so many places to find yourself a regular, domestic betta, but what about species like the imbellis?

There are 2 main groups of Bettas. The splendens group that are bubblenest builders. And the pugnax group that are mouthbrooders.

Most of these types of Bettas are wild caught and only come onto the market for a few months each year due to difficulties collecting them.

You can usually order them through pet shops but most shops will not carry them. The shops will have access to them but won't carry them because they don't know what they are and generally don't have customers that want them. But if you talk to your local pet shop, you can ask them to check their stock list for different types of bettas and they might have some. But be prepared to wait because wild Bettas were on the market a few months ago so it will be a while before they turn up again. Wild gouramis are the same.

You can also look online for Betta clubs/ societies and see if any of the members have other species.

2. Do they require certain foods? live foods?

Most wild fish will ignore dry foods and only take live or frozen. Some will learn to take dry foods and it's a good idea to offer as much variety as possible. Offer dry foods first, then frozen, then live.

3. Specific aquarium requirements (like scaping, size, lighting)

Minimum size tank is 2 foot for a pair of the splendens group, and 30 inch for the pugnax group. Bigger tanks (3ft, 4ft, 6ft) are better for groups of them.

Soft acid water (GH below 100ppm, pH below 7.0).

Temperature between 20-30C. Find a book on bettas and check their ideal temperatures. But generally mid to high 20s (25-27C) is good.

Lots of plants. Lighting shouldn't be too bright but lots of plants (in particular floating plants) help make it darker for them.

4. Do they need to live in pairs or more?

The pugnax group can be kept in groups and do better in groups of 4-10 indivduals. Most of the splendens group are territorial and best kept in pairs or small groups with lots of space.

5. Can they live with other peaceful fish or shrimp?

They can be kept with shrimp but the pugnax group can grow to 4 inches long and will eat small shrimp and small fish. The splendens group tend to be fine with shrimp but might get a bit agro with other fish.

If there are lots of plants and swimming space, they can be kept with other small peaceful fish but the wild bettas can be expensive and most people won't mix them with other species because they want to breed them and don't want common fish diseases affecting the wild Bettas.

 

[Morganna]

That all makes sense! Thanks for taking the time to type out such a long reply.

 

[NearMeBettas]

Tank size depends on what wild you're looking at getting. IMO, all bettas should be fed live food at least occasionally and have a heavily live planted aquarium. Lots of hiding spots, driftwood, spider wood, rocks, etc. make it homier. As for lighting, a dimmer light is good. My bettas don't like it super bright but not dark either.

 

[Crispii]

Hi!
I'm a betta lover but have never owned non-splendens bettas.
I am not looking at getting any at the time, just wanted to cover some information for the future (because I would definitely love to own them one day).
1. So, my big first question is: Where do you buy these "wild type" bettas?
You can go to so many places to find yourself a regular, domestic betta, but what about species like the imbellis?
2. Do they require certain foods? live foods?
3. Specific aquarium requirements (like scaping, size, lighting)
4. Do they need to live in pairs or more?
5. Can they live with other peaceful fish or shrimp?
I think that's all I have for now, Thanks!

1. You can buy wild Bettas at your LFS (if they can source them) or through AquaBid. If you're in the US, you can buy some at WetSpot or BW Aquatics.

2. Live or frozen foods would be your best bet, but you can also feed them dry food if they are trained to. So far, with the Betta channoides that I have, I mainly feed them frozen food and live BBS. They never really go after dry food.

3. Most species of Bettas can be kept in 10 gallon tanks as pairs, but for larger species such as the unimaculata, waseri, or pugnax complexes, they need at least 20 gallons or larger. Whenever it comes to scaping - leaf litter, wood, and low light plants are the best things to put for wild Bettas. Soft, acidic water is best for most species, but if you're going either with Betta mahachaiensis or Betta simplex, then you need hard, alkaline water.

4. They can be kept in pairs or groups, but most sellers will sell wild Bettas by the pair.

5. Wild Bettas can live with peaceful fish as long as they are not quick to the food and they will devour shrimps. In my opinion, it is best to keep any species of Bettas in a species only tank rather than a community.