Renata betta

Betta renata

Also known as Reborn betta

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 4.0–6.0
Adult size: 3.7 in (9.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Jambi and South Sumatra peat swamps, Indonesia
Family: Osphronemidae

Overview

The renata betta is one of the larger wild mouthbrooders, a calm, deliberate fish that wants room and shade, kept as a single pair or a small group in a covered tank of at least 75 liters. It holds in the middle water among wood and roots and is mostly peaceful, though it will eat small fish, so keep company calm and too large to swallow, or none at all. Feed meaty live and frozen foods, bloodworm, small earthworms, prawn, and insect larvae, offered without rush. Soft, acidic, dark water and a quiet room keep this big betta settled, and a tight lid stops it jumping.

In the wild

Betta renata haunts blackwater rivers and peat swamp forest in Jambi and South Sumatra, Indonesia, where the water is soft, deeply acidic, and stained dark with tannins. Recreate it with driftwood, thick leaf litter, dim light, and gentle flow. Hold the pH low, from 4.0 to 6.0, and the temperature from 23 to 27 degrees Celsius. Reverse osmosis water and a deep bed of leaves help hold that acidity steady.

Good to know

Betta renata is a labyrinth fish in the family Osphronemidae, described by Tan in 1998, and reaches about 9.5 centimeters, one of the larger species in this group. It is a paternal mouthbrooder, the male incubating eggs in his mouth for around two weeks, and breeding is hard, needing a settled pair in very soft, acidic water. Its slender, elongate profile gives it a pike-like look. The name is Latin for reborn.

Did you know

At close to ten centimeters it is among the largest of the wild mouthbrooding fighters, with a long, lean, pike-like body quite unlike the short-bodied domestic Siamese fighter most people picture.