Betta foerschi
Under natural conditions, Betta foerschi inhabits water bodies located in the provinces of Kalimantan Tengah (Central Kalimantan) and Kalimantan Barat (West Kalimantan, as well as Indonesia Borneo, the southern part of the island of Kalimantan. The fish is named after Dr. Walter Fersch, who first discovered and described it. As a rule, fish can be found in forest channels and shallow bodies of water, the maximum depth of which sometimes does not exceed a few centimeters. Usually in such places are shaded from the sun by a dense cover of tree leaves and in them reigns semi-darkness. The water itself in such places is colored by humic acids released by decomposing organic material. The acidity of the water is low and the substrate consists mainly of fallen leaves, branches and underwater tree roots.
Betta foerschi males are more colorful than females and have expanded unpaired fins. The body stripes are usually orange-red and are more pronounced in males, while females have golden yellow stripes. The maximum size of the fish is 4-5 cm.
It is most preferable to keep Betta foerschi in a separate species aquarium alone. In extreme cases, it is possible to keep these fish in a common aquarium with peaceful and calm fish. There are reports on the content of betta foerscha harem-type groups consisting of 1 male and several females or the joint maintenance of several pairs of fish. according to reviews, although with such content and there are conflicts, physical injuries are rare, while the maintenance of fish single pair there is a steady tendency to increase aggression of the dominant male in relation to the female.
Keep fish can be in a small aquarium with a volume of 20 liters. Some aquarists prefer not to pour the ground in the aquarium, for ease of maintenance. In the aquarium should be placed snags and tree branches, ceramic pots, put on the side, which will be used by the fish as shelters. The addition of dried leaf litter of aspen or oak leaves will promote, as a result of decomposition, the development of colonies of microbes, which serve as a valuable secondary food source for fish.
Lighting should be weak. In general, fish like semi-darkness, so artificial lighting can be abandoned. Naturally in such conditions aquarium plants can not grow. You can place a few clumps of floating plants on the surface of the water. In this case, you can apply artificial lighting, with floating plants will serve as a natural light filter.
.
Water parameters: temperature 22-28°C, hardness dH 4-10°, acidity pH 4.0-6.0. Water filtration and aeration should be weak. The aquarium should be covered with a lid. The distance between the lid and the water level should be at least 4 cm, so that the air in this space warmed up and was not too cold, because the fish often float to the surface of the water for a breath of atmospheric air.
Fish menu consists of live and frozen food (daphnia, artemia, moths) is possible feeding and various dry foods, but only as a supplement to live food. Fish are prone to obesity, so the food given should be dosed.
Reproduction
After a fairly lengthy courtship of the male for the female, during a kind of embrace, the female swears small portions of eggs. Immediately after fertilization of eggs by the male, he collects all the eggs to his mouth, where the eggs are incubated for 8-14 days. At this time, the male should not be disturbed, because during stress, he can swallow all the eggs. After this period, the mouth of the parent leaves the fully formed fry. Manufacturers as a rule do not eat fry, some aquarists contain manufacturers and fry in the same aquarium, which according to their reviews, contributes to a faster development of fry.
The fry are fed artemia. In the aquarium with fry should be 2 times a week change about 1/5 of the aquarium water with fresh water.
Life expectancy of Betta foerschi in aquarium conditions is about 3 years.
