Wine-red betta
Betta burdigala
Also known as Burdigala betta, Bordeaux betta
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F (22–27°C)
- pH
- 4.0–6.0
- Adult size
- 1.4 in (3.5 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 11 gal (40 L)
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Bangka Island peat swamps, Indonesia
- Family
- Osphronemidae
Overview
The wine-red betta is a small wild betta best kept as a single pair, or as a group only in a larger, densely planted tank. It is mostly peaceful but needs tankmates chosen with care, and it is often given a species tank so a pair can settle and breed. Feed small to medium meaty foods: live and frozen daphnia, bloodworm, brine shrimp, and small insects, with good pellets accepted once the fish settle. Give a pair a shaded tank of around 40 liters with soft, acidic blackwater and plenty of floating and leafy cover, where the male can build his bubble nest.
In the wild
It is endemic to peat swamps on Bangka Island, off the east coast of Sumatra, water stained dark as cellar wine, very soft and strongly acidic. Recreate that with a dim tank, dark substrate, leaf litter, driftwood, and floating plants overhead. Keep the temperature between 22 and 27 C and the pH low, from 4.0 to 6.0, using botanicals or peat to hold the acidity.
Good to know
Betta burdigala, family Osphronemidae, is a dwarf wild betta of about 3.5 centimeters in the Betta coccina group, deep claret-red in good condition. It is a bubble-nester, the male building and tending a small nest at the surface, and breeding it is difficult in the very soft, acidic water it requires. Its species name comes from Burdigala, the ancient Roman name for the city of Bordeaux.
Did you know
To name the fish for its colour, its describers reached for Burdigala, the Roman name for Bordeaux, matching the betta's deep claret body to the famous wine of that region.
Common questions
What size tank does a Wine-red betta need?
A Wine-red betta needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH do Wine-red betta need?
Wine-red betta are comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.0–6.0.
How big do Wine-red betta get?
An adult Wine-red betta reaches about 1.4 in (3.5 cm).
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Bettas & gouramis · Betta fish · Advanced fish · Nano fish
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