Persephone betta

Care at a glance

Overview

The Persephone betta is a small, dark wild betta for a quiet, dim species tank. It is a demanding fish, best left to experienced keepers.

Caring for the Persephone betta

Keep Persephone bettas as a single pair or a small group in a quiet species tank. Give them at least 11 gal (40 L), with a base of 45 cm. A dim blackwater setup with heavy planting, floating cover, leaf litter and a tight lid suits them.

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

Persephone bettas are mostly peaceful. They are bubble nesters, and breeding them is hard.

Good to know

Betta persephone was described by Schaller in 1986 and belongs to the Betta coccina group. The IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered due to peat swamp destruction.

In the wild

The Persephone betta comes from shaded peat swamps in southern Peninsular Malaysia, near Ayer Hitam and Kluang in Johor. The water is very soft, acidic and stained almost black, with little light reaching the bottom.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

  Wine-red betta

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  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Livid betta

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  1.4 in (3.6 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

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• 

  Uberis betta

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  1.4 in (3.6 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

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• 

  Dimidiata betta

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• 

  Scarlet betta

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  1.6 in (4 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)