TankBud

Omega betta

Betta omega

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
4.0–6.0
Adult size
3.2 in
8.1 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Pekan Nanas, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia

Overview

The Omega betta is a calm, shy mouthbrooder, and if it turns up at all, it will be from old hobby lines. It is strictly for experienced keepers.

Did you know

The Omega betta's name points two ways, at the omega-shaped mark on its throat and at the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The describers chose the letter because they expected these fish to be the last of their kind as Malaysia's blackwater swamps disappear.

Caring for the Omega betta

Treat the Omega betta like other waseri group bettas, kept as a pair or a small group with cover. Give it a blackwater tank of at least 24 gal (90 L) with leaf litter, wood, dim light and a tight lid.

Keep the water very soft and acidic, with a pH of 4.0 to 6.0 at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C). Feed live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and small earthworms.

The Omega betta is mostly peaceful, but it eats any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow. It is a paternal mouthbrooder, and Allan and Barbara Brown raised a captive generation in the 1980s. Breeding is hard but possible with patience.

Good to know

Betta omega belongs to the Betta waseri group in the family Osphronemidae. Tan and Ahmad described it in 2018. The type series is two fish caught in 2016 on an earthworm-baited hand line, plus three specimens kept in preservative since 1984. Hobbyists had kept the Pekan Nanas fish since the 1980s under other names, but nobody had described it. A 1993 field guide even pictured it as B. waseri. Its closest relative is B. hipposideros, and the black throat mark tells the two apart. The IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered.

In the wild

The Omega betta is known only from remnant blackwater swamp near Pekan Nanas in southwest Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. The last fish were caught from overgrown roadside ditches and small streams running through oil palm estates. Six-banded barbs, Rasbora einthovenii, swamp eels, Betta bellica, Betta pulchra and a snakehead shared those ditches. The describers think the species may already be extinct in the wild.

Common questions

What size tank does an Omega betta need?

An Omega betta needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Omega betta need?

An Omega betta is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 4.0–6.0.

What does an Omega betta eat?

An Omega betta eats live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and small earthworms. It will also eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow.

How big does an Omega betta get?

An adult Omega betta reaches about 3.2 in (8.1 cm).

How does an Omega betta breed?

The Omega betta is a paternal mouthbrooder. Allan and Barbara Brown raised a captive generation in the 1980s, so breeding is possible with patience, though it is hard.

Related species