Scarlet Betta (Betta coccina) - The scarlet beauty from Southeast Asia

Introduction

The word Betta is derived from the Malay term "ikan betah," which is the local Malay name for this species. The species name coccina comes from the Latin word "coccinus," which means scarlet.

This Betta is found in many places in the Jambi and Riau provinces of Sumatra, Indonesia, and in the state of Johor in the Malay Peninsula.

In the wild, it inhabits peat swamp forests with many small streams. The places where it occurs are mostly shady, hidden under dense branches of trees and shrubs. The water in these areas is darkly colored by tannins and enriched with humic acids and other components formed by the decomposition of organic material. The water values here are, so to speak, extreme. The content of dissolved minerals is negligible and the pH usually ranges between 3.0 and 4.0. The bottom of the biotope of these fish is most often covered with fallen leaves, branches and is interwoven with many tree roots. In the dry periods of the year, these fish are able to survive even several weeks only in the moist leaves.

Breeding

The tank for one to two pairs should be at least 30 liters. These fish rarely fight among themselves, so it is possible to keep several individuals in one tank. For the bottom, silica sand with a fraction of 1-3 mm is suitable, a lot of plants, various twigs, roots and the use of dry leaves, which cover part of the bottom, is suitable.

The leaves act as a food reservoir for microbes that are involved in the decomposition of biomass, and these microbes in turn serve as the first food for any fry. Filtration with a moderate water flow is suitable. An air-driven filter is ideal. The aquarium cannot do without a cover glass, because Bettas are excellent jumpers and very often jump out of the tank. Another function of the cover glass is that it keeps warm and humid air above the water surface, which Bettas breathe. Without this measure, the fish can often suffer from inflammation of the labyrinth.

We can place floating plants in the tank, under which the male can build a foam nest. The male guards the nest and subsequently takes care of the eggs and later the fry until they swim freely. In a densely overgrown tank, many fry survive even without the intervention of the breeder. It is only necessary to feed these fry with artemia nauplii after about a week of life.

The ideal water parameters for keeping and breeding are conductivity up to 50 uS and pH 4.0-5.0 and temperature 26 to 30 degrees Celsius. Soft and acidic water is not absolutely necessary. I myself have bred these fish in medium-hard tap water with a pH of 7.0 and a temperature around 24 degrees Celsius. The food of these fish should consist mainly of plankton, such as cyclops or daphnia, but they also like to accept grindal, corethra, and the fish I have bred also accept dry microgranules with relish. The fry can be fed with microworms, freshly hatched artemia or live fine cyclops. Do not overfeed the fish, most Bettas are prone to obesity, and this leads to subsequent frequent illnesses.

The aquarium should be only slightly lit so that the fish are not shy and have a more intense color. Therefore, it is desirable to choose plants that do not need a lot of light, such as microsorium, cryptocoryne, taxiphyllum.

It is advisable to add to the water either your own extract from peat or alder cones or sea almond. However, it is much more convenient to use one of the commercial extracts. I have been using the Aquahum product for many years and have not yet found a better one.

Now you probably know everything, so go ahead and breed these scarlet beauties. 

Photography (by Michal Klacek):

1. Male searching for food in the substrate
2. Male
3. Female
4. Male