TankBud

Lehi betta

Betta lehi

Also known as Lehi's mouthbrooder

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
4.0–7.0
Adult size
2.4 in
6.1 cm
Minimum tank
16 gal
60 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Southwest Sarawak and the lower Kapuas basin, Borneo

Overview

A quiet, peaceful fish that is easily bullied, so keep it alone, as a pair, or as a small group with plenty of cover rather than in a busy community. It stays in the middle of the water in a tank of 60 liters or more. Seriously Fish gives 22 to 27 C and pH 4 to 7, and the wild water can be extremely soft and acidic, so aim for the low end with rainwater or RO and tannins. Feed small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworm, with dried food once it is accepted. Calm small tank mates from similar water are fine, but dwarf shrimp will be eaten.

In the wild

The Lehi betta comes from a small corner of Borneo, the country between Bau and Lundu southwest of Kuching in Sarawak, plus the lower Kapuas basin across the border in West Kalimantan. It lives in peat swamp forest and acid swamp forest, and at the type locality it was netted from the quiet edges of a clear, fast stream among overgrown bank plants. Give it soft water with leaf litter and botanicals, dim light, dense planting, driftwood or clay pot caves, and a gentle sponge filter. Fit a tight lid, because this fish jumps.

Good to know

Betta lehi is a mouthbrooder in the Betta pugnax group of the family Osphronemidae, described by Tan and Ng in 2005 and named for Charles Leh, then curator of zoology at the Sarawak Museum. The largest known specimen measured 60.8 mm standard length, so figure on about 6 cm. It lacks a chin bar, carries transverse bars in the dorsal fin but none in the tail, and shows green iridescent scales on the gill cover with a light blue edge to the anal fin. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable, and its swamp forest habitat is shrinking.

Did you know

For years this fish sat in collections as plain Betta sp., because Kottelat and Lim had caught only a handful of specimens by 1995 and listed it without a name. When Tan and Ng finally described it in 2005 they named it for Charles Leh of the Sarawak Museum, and the type series came from a stream called Sungai Stuum Muda on the road from Bau to Lundu.

Common questions

What size tank does a Lehi betta need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Lehi betta need?

A Lehi betta is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.0–7.0.

How big does a Lehi betta get?

An adult Lehi betta reaches about 2.4 in (6.1 cm).

Related species