TankBud

Antoni betta

Betta antoni

Also known as Betta sp. Sanggau

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
5.5–7.0
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
16 gal
60 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Own kind
One male per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Sanggau area, lower Kapuas basin, West Kalimantan, Borneo

Overview

The Antoni betta is a small, calm mouthbrooding betta from Borneo's hill streams. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

Before it was described, the Antoni betta moved through the hobby as Betta sp. 'Sanggau'.

Caring for the Antoni betta

A pair or a small group of Antoni bettas needs at least 16 gal (60 L). Keep the tank dim and well filtered, with gentle flow from a sponge filter. Use sand or gravel with some rock. Scatter leaf litter for cover, and fit a tight lid.

Keep the water soft and mildly acidic, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. It is an insect eater that takes dried food but does best on live and frozen daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm. It gets fat easily, so feed with care.

It is calm, but keep one male per tank at this size. A little squabbling with other anabantoids is normal. Choose small, peaceful tank mates only, since dwarf shrimp will be eaten.

The Antoni betta is a paternal mouthbrooder. The female usually starts the courtship. The male then broods the eggs for 12 to 17 days and can hold up to 60 fry. Breeding it is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Betta antoni is a slim fish in the Betta akarensis group of the family Osphronemidae. Tan and Ng described it in 2006 and named it for Irwan Anton, who helped the authors and gave them specimens. In life its body scales carry a blue iridescence. It has a black lower lip, a black chin bar and two black stripes behind the eye. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.

In the wild

The Antoni betta lives in clear, flowing hill streams of the Sanggau area, in the lower Kapuas basin of West Kalimantan, Borneo. It keeps to the upper reaches of the Sekayam and Melawi tributaries, in quieter margins and still pools. Those spots have leaf litter, gravel and rock under a dense canopy. The streams run very soft and only mildly acidic, at pH 5.7 to 6.3, and are sometimes faintly brown from humic acids.

Common questions

What size tank does an Antoni betta need?

An Antoni betta needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Antoni betta need?

An Antoni betta is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.0.

What does an Antoni betta eat?

An Antoni betta is an insect eater that does best on live and frozen daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm. It also takes dried food, but it gets fat easily, so feed it with care.

How big does an Antoni betta get?

An adult Antoni betta reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How does an Antoni betta breed?

Antoni bettas are paternal mouthbrooders. The female usually starts the courtship, and the male then broods the eggs for 12 to 17 days, holding up to 60 fry. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species