Pulchra betta

Care at a glance

Overview

The Pulchra betta is a wild mouthbrooder for a quiet, shaded blackwater tank. It takes some experience to keep well.

Caring for the Pulchra betta

Keep a pair of Pulchra bettas in a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L), with a base of 80 cm. Give them a shaded blackwater setup with wood, leaf litter, plenty of cover and a tight lid.

Keep the water soft and acidic, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) with a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Stable, mineral-poor water keeps it healthy. Feed small live and frozen foods, such as daphnia, artemia and bloodworms.

Pulchra bettas are mostly peaceful. Keep them in a species tank or with very peaceful blackwater fish. They are paternal mouthbrooders, and breeding them is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Betta pulchra was described by Tan and Tan in 1996 and belongs to the Betta pugnax complex. Loss of peat swamp forest has reduced its range.

In the wild

The Pulchra betta survives in remnant blackwater ditches and canals in heavily altered parts of southwestern Johor, in Peninsular Malaysia. The water is soft, acidic and tannin-stained, with plants along the margins.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

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• 

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• 

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