Photo: -- Acapella 09:31, 31 December 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Emerald betta
Betta smaragdina
6 cm
Adult size
50 L
Minimum volume
2
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Betta
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- pair
In the wild
Overview
The “emerald betta” owes its name to its emerald-green sheen. Like B. splendens, it is bred for fighting in eastern Thailand, and aquarium forms crossed with other Betta circulate in the hobby. It builds a bubble nest.
- Scientific name
- Betta smaragdina Ladiges, 1972
- Classification
- Anabantiformes › Osphronemidae
- IUCN Red List
- Data deficient (DD)
Natural habitat
Khorat Plateau (eastern Thailand) and Mekong tributaries in central Laos
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in the rice fields, marshes, ditches and ponds of the Khorat Plateau, in calm, shaded water that is sometimes poor in oxygen.
Behaviour
Poorly suited to a community tank, it is kept alone or with small, very peaceful species. A pair is preferable, even though several males can live together with plenty of hiding places. It needs live or frozen prey as well as dry food, and breathes air at the surface.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth