Pugnax Betta

Care at a glance

Overview

The Penang betta, or forest betta, is a peaceful mouthbrooding betta best kept singly or as one settled pair. It holds in the middle of the tank among wood and plants and rarely troubles other fish, though it will eat tiny creatures. Keep it in a species tank if you plan to breed, or with other small, calm fishes. Offer small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp, plus a fine carnivore dry food. It appreciates a little water movement, reflecting its stream home, and does well in a covered tank of around 60 liters or more with a tight lid.

In the wild

Betta pugnax comes from Malaysia, including Penang Island, where it lives in clear, flowing forest streams and hill brooks over gravel and leaf litter. Unlike many bettas it likes moderately soft water with some current rather than still blackwater. Recreate that with gentle flow, driftwood, leaves, and shade from plants, over a dark substrate. Keep the temperature between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius and the pH from 5.0 to 7.5. Cooler, well-oxygenated water and a steady trickle of flow suit it better than warm, stagnant conditions.

Good to know

A member of the gourami family Osphronemidae, Betta pugnax reaches about 7 centimeters and gives its name to the pugnax group of mouthbrooding bettas. Despite the warlike name, meaning combative, it is one of the milder wild bettas. It is a paternal mouthbrooder: the male holds the eggs in his mouth for roughly ten days to two weeks before releasing free-swimming fry. Breeding is rated hard, as it needs a settled pair and clean, soft, flowing water.

Did you know

The name pugnax means pugnacious or combative, a leftover from the days when many wild bettas were lumped in with the fighting fish. In practice this is a fairly gentle, retiring species, and its males brood their young in the mouth.

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