Pallifina betta

Care at a glance

Overview

The pallifina betta is a larger wild mouthbrooder that likes cooler, cleaner water than the swamp species, kept as a single pair or a small group in a covered tank of at least 75 liters. It swims in the middle water among wood and roots and is mostly peaceful, with males posturing rather than fighting. Keep it in a species tank or with calm, medium-sized fish, and avoid anything tiny enough to be eaten. Feed meaty live and frozen foods, bloodworm, brine shrimp, small earthworms, and insect larvae. Good water movement and a tight lid suit this active, jump-prone hill fish.

In the wild

Betta pallifina lives in a remote part of the upper Barito river basin in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, in clearer, cooler hill water rather than dark peat swamp. Give it a well filtered, oxygen-rich tank with driftwood and roots for cover. Hold the pH from 5.0 to 7.0 and keep it on the cool side, from 22 to 26 degrees Celsius. Gentle current suits a fish used to moving water.

Good to know

Betta pallifina is a labyrinth fish in the family Osphronemidae, described by Tan and Ng in 2005, and reaches about 8 centimeters, making it one of the larger fish here. It belongs to the unimaculata group and is a paternal mouthbrooder, the male holding eggs and fry in his mouth for up to three weeks; breeding is hard. Its name refers to the pale margins on the female's fins.

Did you know

Not every wild betta is a swamp hermit: this one comes from cooler, running hill streams in the Bornean interior, and its name points to the pale-bordered fins of the female rather than the flashier male.

Common questions

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