TankBud

Aurigans betta

Betta aurigans

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
5.0–6.5
Adult size
2.9 in
7.3 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
No record
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Natuna Besar, Natuna Islands, Indonesia

Overview

Expect the calm manners of the group: fine in a pair, or a group in a much larger tank with cover, one male per tank at this size. It keeps to the middle of the water in soft acidic water, pH 5 to 6.5, at 22 to 27 C. Feed live and frozen foods such as Daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm with a quality dried food. We found no published breeding report, so expect it to spawn like its relatives with the male holding the eggs for about two weeks. Small calm tank mates only; dwarf shrimp will be eaten.

In the wild

The Aurigans betta is found only on Natuna Besar, an island in the South China Sea between Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, where it lives in blackwater swamps, ponds and peatland streams among submerged leaf litter and the roots of bank plants. Set it up with soft acidic water, almost no flow, dim light, leaf litter and botanicals for tannins, and dense cover. A pair fits in 60 liters with a tight lid.

Good to know

Betta aurigans is a paternal mouthbrooder in the Betta akarensis group of the family Osphronemidae; the holotype measured 6.6 cm standard length and the largest paratype 7.3 cm. Tan and Lim described it in 2004 in a survey of the freshwater fishes of the Anambas and Natuna islands, and the name comes from the Latin for gold, after the gold scales on its belly and flanks. Like its close relative Betta ibanorum it lacks the second stripe behind the eye. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient.

Did you know

Natuna Besar sits far out in the South China Sea, roughly midway between Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, and this betta turned up there during a 2004 survey of the Anambas and Natuna island fish faunas. Gold scales on the belly and flanks are the quickest way to tell it from the blue tinted Betta ibanorum of Sarawak, its closest look alike.

Common questions

What size tank does an Aurigans betta need?

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

What temperature and pH does an Aurigans betta need?

An Aurigans betta is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 5.0–6.5.

How big does an Aurigans betta get?

An adult Aurigans betta reaches about 2.9 in (7.3 cm).

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