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Spotted badis

Badis assamensis

Also known as Assam badis

FreshwaterFish

Spotted badis (Badis assamensis)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–77°F
18–25°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
21 gal
80 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Badidae
Origin
Brahmaputra drainage, Assam, India

Overview

The spotted badis is the giant of its genus, a bottom dweller for a cool, well planted tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish and suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

A single spotted badis can slide from pale and washed out to dark and boldly marked within minutes as its mood shifts. That quick change is why badis are called chameleonfish.

Caring for the spotted badis

Give the spotted badis a densely planted tank of at least 21 gal (80 L), shaded under subdued light. Add a soft substrate, driftwood, roots, rock caves and leaf litter, with gentle flow. It is a quiet, deliberate hunter that patrols the bottom and the cover.

Keep the water soft to medium and close to neutral, at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It likes the cool side, at 64 to 77°F (18 to 25°C). The spotted badis is a carnivore that wants live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp. It may be slow to take dry food.

Keep it singly or as a single pair, because it is territorial with its own kind. A species tank works best, or a tank with small, calm midwater fish. It will snap up anything tiny, shrimp included.

The spotted badis is a cave spawner, and breeding is moderately difficult. The male takes a territory and guards the eggs after a female deposits them in a shelter. Adults are best sexed and paired from a small group grown on together.

Good to know

The spotted badis belongs to the family Badidae and is also sold as the Assam badis. Ernst Ahl described it in 1937.

In the wild

The spotted badis lives in the weedy, slow margins of the upper Brahmaputra system in Assam and nearby northeast India. It shelters there among submerged roots, overhanging plants and leaf litter. These are subtropical foothill waters rather than the warm tropics, so the fish is used to cooler water.

Common questions

What size tank does a spotted badis need?

A spotted badis needs at least 21 gal (80 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a spotted badis need?

A spotted badis is comfortable at 64–77°F (18–25°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a spotted badis eat?

A spotted badis eats live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp. It is a carnivore and can be slow to accept dry food.

How big does a spotted badis get?

An adult spotted badis reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

How does a spotted badis breed?

A spotted badis spawns in a cave. The female lays her eggs in a shelter, and the male guards them in his territory. Breeding it is moderately difficult.

Related species