Giant Betta Splendens vs. Regular Bettas

[JohnnyReb]

I am interested in your experience with Giant Bettas Splendens or Larger or King if you choose to call them and Regular Betta Splendens. Does your experience show that are as healthy and have the same longevity as Regular Betta Splendens? My experience shows they are not as heathy. I know there are many variables to this question 9tank size, water quality, diet, etc.) but what do you believe? Yes, I know true Giants area different species. I think they have more digestive issues and tumors than Regular Betta Splendens and a lower immune system, what say you or as Yoda would say "What say you?"

 

[Back in the fold]

I say that I don’t recall ever hearing of Giant Betta’s but I don’t get out much either . I rescued a small male at PetsMart last spring and I thought he was a runt but he grew up okay . He’s nice and big now , as big as any others I’ve seen .

 

[GaryE]

This is going to get messy.

I have kept Betta anabatoides, which used to be the giant Betta. It's a tough mouthbrooder with the stunning colours of the average mouse.

It appears the new 'giant' is a plakat (biting betta) - from the short finned lines of bubble nesting splendens. They tend to be milder than the longfinned Bettas, in my experience keeping and breeding them, even if they were also part of the gambling lines.

I no longer keep any linebred bettas. But given how recent the giant form is, and how available it has quickly become, there has to be ferocious inbreeding there. I'd expect what you've seen, for it to be more fragile.

So, two species, anabatoides and splendens. One English name. The first hit google gave me for an anabatoides image showed me a splendens linebred form from reddit. I don't know if that's from ignorance or if claiming a scientific name other than splendens increases value.

The newly marketed Giant Bettas I've seen are just big Betta splendens with extra inbreeding to get the size. The plakats I got from Thailand were already twice the size of the wild caught B splendens a researcher friend brought me from the region. Making bigger Bettas has been a longterm project for the fishfarms.

 

[JohnnyReb]

I say that I don’t recall ever hearing of Giant Betta’s but I don’t get out much either . I rescued a small male at PetsMart last spring and I thought he was a runt but he grew up okay . He’s nice and big now , as big as any others I’ve seen .

Most run up to 8cm, there are stories of 13cm, but may be more urban myth than reality. Or just a fish story?