TankBud

Waseri betta

Betta waseri

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
4.0–6.0
Adult size
3.6 in
9.1 cm
Minimum tank
26 gal
100 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Own kind
One male per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Pahang and Terengganu peat swamps, Peninsular Malaysia

Overview

A calm, slow fish for its size that can live in a pair or a group in a large planted tank with caves and cover, one male per tank at this size. It uses the middle of the water in very soft acidic water, pH 4 to 6, at 22 to 27 C, and it needs clean, well filtered water and steady small water changes. Feed live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, mysis and small insects, with dried foods as a supplement. It will eat dwarf shrimp and fish small enough to swallow, so keep it alone or with calm fish of similar size.

In the wild

The Waseri betta is a blackwater specialist from the peat swamp forests of Pahang and Terengganu on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, taken in well shaded streams with dense leaf litter, mud and root tangles at pH 3.4 to 4. It needs a tank that copies that: very soft water, pH 4 to 6, dark with tannins from leaf litter and botanicals, dim light and heavy cover. A pair or small group needs at least 100 liters and a tight lid.

Good to know

Betta waseri is a large paternal mouthbrooder in the family Osphronemidae and the name species of the Betta waseri group, whose members are stout blackwater fish with black marks on the throat and lower lip. The holotype measures 9.1 cm standard length, though the original 1986 description gave 9.8 cm by measuring to the tail scales, so both figures are in circulation. Its own mark is a pair of black tear drop spots on the throat that do not touch the black lower lip, and males carry scattered gold scales on the front of the flanks. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.

Did you know

The species was described in 1986 from aquarium fish collected near Kuantan on a trip led by the aquarist Alfred Waser, and only one large male, the holotype, was preserved from that batch. For years afterwards it was filed under the wrong name, Betta macrophthalma, until a 1994 revision showed that name belongs to a juvenile Betta pugnax and gave the waseri group its own home.

Common questions

What size tank does a Waseri betta need?

A Waseri betta needs at least 26 gal (100 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Waseri betta need?

A Waseri betta is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.0–6.0.

How big does a Waseri betta get?

An adult Waseri betta reaches about 3.6 in (9.1 cm).

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