betta imbellis, otherwise known as "betta phuket".
"As with most Betta species, these fish are good jumpers and need a well-covered tank. A good candidate for the community tank, they do well with several pair kept together. The males will often flare at each other but rarely cause any trouble. They show a preference for live foods such as mosquito larvae and brine shrimp but will readily accept flake foods as well."
"Temperature: 77-79ºF; for stimulating spawning, as high as 86ºF."
"Reproduction: Dioecious, external fertilization. Spherical eggs in bubble nest. Eggs shrink to the bottom and were then collected by one or both parents and were embedded among the foam bubbles in the nest. [33]
Sexually mature at 6 months old, these fish measure approximately 1.5 inches in length at this age. They will readily spawn in anything from a one-gallon jar to an outdoor pool when properly conditioned. A 10 gallon tank is usually used which gives the female plenty of room to retreat and allows the fry enough growing room. As these fish are naturally shy, the tank should be placed in an area with little traffic to prevent disturbing the breeding pair. Two gallons of well-aged tapwater should be mixed with two gallons of distilled or RO water and maintained at a temperature of 80°F. Floating plants should be added but quantity is not important as long as the female has a place to hide. The author suggests draping a large, thick towel over the top and brightly lit side of the tank to subdue light and give the pair a sense of security. Once the pair has been chosen, keep them isolated from each other for a couple of weeks before placing them into the breeding tank. Condition them with plenty of a good variety of live and frozen foods during this time. Proper conditioning is the single most important aspect of successfully spawning any egglayer. Good conditioning foods include live and frozen brine shrimp, live and frozen mosquito larvae, frozen plankton, frozen beef heart, freeze-dried foods, chopped earthworms, etc. After the condtioning period, both fish are placed into the breeding tank at the same time. The bubble nest is started by the male in a few hours and the pair usually spawn within 24 hours. Up to 500 white opaque eggs will be placed into the bubble nest after a few hours of embracing occur. The female's job is over and the male takes on the task of maintaining the nest and making sure the eggs stay in place. She can either be removed now or left and removed with the male later. The parents are fed once daily to discourage eating the developing fry. The eggs hatch in 24-48 hours and by the fourth day, they are free- swimming at the water's surface. The parents can now be removed and snails added to promote infusoria. The fry are small and need a liquid food for the first couple of days, after which they can be supplemented with baby brine shrimp. By the fourth day, they should be fed solely on baby brine shrimp and care should be taken not to overfeed them, as the fry are very susceptible to foul water and very sensitive to water changes. Fresh water can be added only after around 3 weeks and then only gradually. A quart a day for the first 3-4 days and then a gallon a day till the tank is filled seems to work best. The fry will be at least a month old now and a sponge filter can be added to the tank. The fry will start coloring up at 3-4 months of age if given plenty of growing room."
- courtesy of the IBC species maintenance program
while they are known as "the peaceful betta" you should know that they were crossbred with wild splendens in the south of thailand for fighting due to their unpredictibilty in combat. even though the IBC says they can be kept together i wouldn't recommend it unless they are siblings who have grown up together and you have a lot of room in your tank. they are the "elusive betta" as i have searched high and low in the hopes of aquiring one.
i thought i had a pair for sure as a breeder had promised me but the source in the states never got back to her and i was left out in the cold. still, my search continues, ever hopeful for the day i can call one my own
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