Our Guide To Keeping Peaceful Betta Fish

1. About Fish Species:

   • Scientific name: Betta imbellis
   • Common name: Peaceful Betta
   • Family: Osphronemidae
   • Origin: Southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and nearby parts of Southeast Asia
   • Adult length: 5 to 6 cm
   • Lifespan: 3 to 5 years
   • Diet: Carnivore
   • Care Level: Easy to Moderate
   • Temperament: Peaceful to semi-aggressive, especially between males

2. Tank Setup:

   • Peaceful Bettas prefer a calm, well-planted aquarium with plenty of cover. A minimum tank size of 40L is recommended for a pair, although a larger aquarium of 60L or more is better for a small group.
   • Provide dense planting, floating plants, driftwood, caves, and leaf litter to mimic their natural habitat. Plants such as Java Fern, Anubias, Cryptocoryne, Java Moss, Salvinia, and Amazon Frogbit work well.
   • Keep the aquarium covered, as Peaceful Bettas are known to jump and require warm, humid air above the water surface due to their labyrinth organ.

3. Water Parameters:

   • Peaceful Bettas thrive in soft to moderately hard water with a slightly acidic to neutral pH range of 6.0 to 7.3.
   • Keep the water temperature between 24 to 28°C (75 to 82°F).
   • Stable water conditions are important, so avoid sudden changes in temperature, pH, or hardness.

4. Filtration and Water Flow:

   • A gentle water flow is best for Peaceful Bettas, as they naturally come from slow-moving waters, swamps, rice paddies, ponds, and heavily vegetated areas.
   • Use a sponge filter or a filter with adjustable flow to prevent strong currents from stressing the fish.

5. Diet:

   • Peaceful Bettas are carnivores and should be offered a varied, protein-rich diet. A high-quality betta pellet or small carnivore pellet can be used as a staple food.
   • Supplement their diet with live or frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, and blackworms to encourage natural behaviour and strong colouration.
   • Feed small amounts once or twice daily, only offering what they can eat within a few minutes.

6. Tank mates:

   • Peaceful Bettas can be kept with carefully chosen, calm community fish, but they should not be housed with aggressive, boisterous, or fin-nipping species.
   • Suitable tank mates may include small rasboras, peaceful tetras, small Corydoras, Kuhli Loaches, and other gentle fish that prefer similar warm, calm water conditions.
   • Avoid keeping them with large cichlids, tiger barbs, aggressive gourami species, or brightly coloured long-finned fish that may trigger territorial behaviour.

7. Behavior and Compatibility:

   • Peaceful Bettas are generally less aggressive than Betta splendens, but males can still be territorial, especially in smaller tanks or when line-of-sight breaks are limited.
   • They do best in a peaceful, heavily planted aquarium where each fish can establish its own space and retreat when needed.
   • They are bubble nest builders, and males may guard a nest during breeding. During this time, they can become more defensive of their chosen area.
   • For best results, keep only one male per small aquarium unless the tank is large, mature, and heavily planted with multiple hiding places.