Look What The Local Betta Importer Brought In...

[ral]

They just arrived...
FO...really was caught in the wild because they just did after giving my order

Betta smaragdina
Betta mahachai
Betta imbellis
Betta splendens

 

[newfishies]

that's awesome! get some mahachai!!!

 

[ral]

He brought in 10 pairs of each... I can't get one pair of each.

If I only got one pair, which one do you to is best.

On vote for mahachai.

 

[Annastasia]

Wow, that is so awesome. I'm jealous.

If I had to choose...I'd go for the smaragdina. That's just beacause I love them though...it's close between them and the mahachai. I know, I know...I'm not helping at all. Sorry.

 

[ral]

Actually, you are helping... been reading... having a hard time deciding between the smaragdina and mahachai myself... with a slight preferrence in favor of the mahacia. And yes, the Imbellis is interesting too. I guess what the Imbellis has going against it is that it is the one most similar to the Splendens.

 

[lljdma06]

Actually, you are helping... been reading... having a hard time deciding between the smaragdina and mahachai myself... with a slight preferrence in favor of the mahacia. And yes, the Imbellis is interesting too. I guess what the Imbellis has going against it is that it is the one most similar to the Splendens.

Now I'll play devil's advocate. Go for the imbellis! Just because

 

[ral]

Thanks lljdma06!!!

That's a big help

 

[SRC]

hmmm

Betta smaragdina

Betta mahachai

Betta imbellis

Betta splendens (well we all know what that looks like lmao)

I'm sorry...but all those fish look so similar..I don't see what the fuss is about. I mean, is it just from having something that others don't, or what? I mean they're all pretty..but I don't see what the fuss about picking one from the list is about...well since they all look so much alike and all.

Anyone care to elaborate/explain for me?

**edit**
now you start talking about species like Maacrostoma

And I think I cold understand...because they are so different looking.

 

[ral]

Interesting... when I looked at the pics at the IBC, they looked a bit more different from each other...

Here they all look pretty much alike. Like scrawny Plakat's

For me, basically... I just like the short fins.

Two of my betta's are the "generic plakats", pretty much look like what you might find in a rice paddy in Thailand. The rest of my Plakats are the more colorful ones. I guess its part of building a short fin collection.

Longfins are becoming extinct in my collection, being replaced by shortfins as they pass over to the other side

 

[ral]

Saw them tonight... actually the imbellis had the more interesting colors. The other two where a drab brown and dull green...

 

[The ultimate_fish MaC dAddY]

So thats what wild bettas look like? Huh... I think Wal-Mart is selling wild bettas

 

[lljdma06]

Well, that photo spread has convinced me that Hunding is an imbellis splendens hybrid. Thanks for the photo spread SRC, now I know what some of the wild types look like! I still say go b. imbellis

 

[ral]

I was wondering, maybe the Smaragdina and Mahachia are still too young and hence not showing their colors yet?

 

[slamster17]

i would go with the wild betta splendens if you can be sure that they are a genuine wild pair not feral or a natural hybrid. i would do this because i heard that the number of true wild splendens is dwindling.

i also highly highly doubt that walmart, of all freaking places would be seeling wild bettas. i however cannot prove this without pics.

lljdma06, if you post pics of your supposed hybrid i can tell you what it really may be.

SRC, they all look so familiar because they are from the same species complex. it is also debated that wild imbellis and splendens are the same species. mahachai is not yet a species as it is still listed as undescribed.

 

[Synirr]

I agree with slamster17, go for the splendens!
The joy of wild bettas isn't so much in their looks (though they do have a wonderful subtle beauty and are stunning when spawning,) but in their behaviour. They are a world apart from our domestic splendens