What fish would you like to eventually keep?

[Crispii]

Secondly, the chances that the fish you'll get is a hybrid are high. I don't want to take such a risk.

Fun fact about hybrids that are not splendens complex fish:

There are people that claim that Betta sp. "Jade," a fish from the coccina complex, is a hybrid due to its phenotype. The fish looks like a cross between persephone, miniopinna, and api api. However, Wentian Shi believes that this fish is not a hybrid, but indeed a new species. Of course, he needs to study the fish even more before concluding.

And yes, Jade is available in the hobby. I've seen this fish for sale at AquaBid and I even seen someone on Reddit keeping this fish.

 

[Crispii]

(Edit: (it seems like you know a lot about wilds, do you have any articles / blogs / whatever you think I should read?))

I highly recommend reading posts from Journey to the Water on Facebook. All posts are written by Wentian Shi, which is based on his studies and observations of the different species. He even talks about the really obscure and often undescribed species on his site, which I think will peak your interest.

And of course, you can DM or ping me if you have questions regarding wild Bettas.

 

[betta4ever!]

Fun fact about hybrids that are not splendens complex fish:

There are people that claim that Betta sp. "Jade," a fish from the coccina complex, is a hybrid due to its phenotype. The fish looks like a cross between persephone, miniopinna, and api api. However, Wentian Shi believes that this fish is not a hybrid, but indeed a new species. Of course, he needs to study the fish even more before concluding.

And yes, Jade is available in the hobby. I've seen this fish for sale at AquaBid and I even seen someone on Reddit keeping this fish.

Yes, I've read about it. I find it really fascinating!! I reeeally hope it's a new species and not a hybrid....! Unfortunately, there's not much info about those beauties. Definitely on the "I want" list. My lfs can order whatever, a person one asked them to get jade and they did!! I saw them myself, it was such an incredible experience. Forgot to take pics ..... Woops

 

[TheLavenderBadger]

I want snakeskin gouramis!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

There are too many to name I'm afraid! I don't have one specific dream fish in mind at the moment (I know that that can change at any time!) but there are so many on my list.
At the moment, my dream would be a big tank, 200 gallon on something, and pack it full of huge schools of one of the dwarf corydora species to see how they act when you have like, 100 of them together. The way they'd live in the wild. Then a large school of dwarf rainbowfish or tiny tetra species, not sure what else yet, but a smaller fish that lives in huge numbers in the wild, kept in a big tank in big numbers. Packed full of plants too.

Then there's my Otocinclus dream. Not just to keep them, I have otos and love them, so long term, I would love to successfully breed them in captivity. They're super popular in the hobby for algae eating and peaceful nature so in big demand, and nearly all wild caught. They're one of the most delicate fish when it comes to being wild caught, warehoused and shipped, with big mortality rates being normal with otos, and them often arriving skinny, starving and sickly. If we in the hobby could successfully breed them in decent numbers, it would solve that problem.