Stiktos betta

Care at a glance

Overview

A pair is comfortable in about 40 liters with a base of 45 cm, soft to medium slightly acidic water at pH 5.5 to 7.0, and 23 to 27 C. Keep a tight lid and floating plants over calm water. Feed small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, artemia, and bloodworm. Males spar with each other, so keep as a single pair in a species tank.

In the wild

Betta stiktos is a small fighter from swampy streams and ponds of the Mekong basin in Cambodia. The water is slightly acidic to neutral and often warm and low in oxygen, which its labyrinth organ helps it cope with. A planted tank with leaf litter, floating cover, and a tight lid suits it. It is a close relative of the Siamese fighter.

Good to know

Described by Tan and Ng in 2005, it belongs to the Betta splendens complex and is a bubble nester. The name stiktos means spotted, for the fine dark marks on its body. It is considered the rarest member of the splendens group and is found only in a small area of Cambodia.

Did you know

Betta stiktos is the rarest of the Siamese fighter's wild relatives, known only from a small part of the Mekong in Cambodia.

Related species

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  Falx betta

  Betta falx

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Spotted betta

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  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Stigmosa betta

  Betta stigmosa

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
• Foersch's betta

  Betta foerschi

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
• Prima betta

  Betta prima

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Apollon betta

  Betta apollon

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)