Betta burdigala
The Betta burdigala naturally inhabits the peat bogs of Bangka Island near the east coast of Sumatra, Bangka-Belitung Province, Indonesia. These fish are endangered and have been listed in the Red Book since 1996. In collections of aquarists are extremely rare.
The water in places where Betta burdigala lives is colored brown because of humic acids released during the decay process at the bottom of leaves and tree branches. The banks and bottoms of such places are heavily overgrown with aquatic vegetation, which prevents the penetration of light, resulting in semi-darkness at the bottom. During drought seasons, ponds turn into puddles in which fish live for several weeks.
The Betta burdigala has an elongated body of red or dark pink with bardic fins. In the reflected light, the scales of the fish shimmer turquoise. Males are more brightly colored than females and have elongated fins. The maximum size of the fish is 3-3,5 cm.
Keep the fish can be a pair or a small harem (1 male and 2-3 females), as in the species, and the general aquarium with other peace-loving fish. In the aquarium, preferably place snags and branches of trees so as to form several shady areas. You can also put ceramic pots and plastic tubes at the bottom, in which the fish could freely swim.
Adding dried oak or beech leaves to the bottom will further approximate the natural aquarium conditions and in addition, when decomposed, will encourage the development of a colony of bacteria, which are good additional food for the fry.
The lighting in the aquarium should be low. If lowering the brightness of aquarium lamps is problematic, in which case the surface of the water can be placed bushes of floating plants, which will act as natural light filters.
Water parameters: temperature 22-30° C, hardness dH 0-5°, pH 4,0-6,0. Filtration should not be too strong. The aquarium should have a cover that will prevent cool air from reaching the water surface.
In nature, fish feed on small invertebrates and insects. In the aquarium Betta burdigala are fed dry food, as well as daphnia, artemia and bloodworms. Try not to overfeed the fish, as they are prone to obesity.
Reproduction
Betta burdigala are bred in a specially prepared for this purpose spawning aquarium. Spawning aquarium top should be covered with a lid or cover glass, as fry, for the normal development of their maze-breathing organ needs warm moist air.
The male builds a nest in a plastic tube or ceramic pot, under a broad plant leaf or in the thicket of small-leaved plants. The male does not allow the female to approach the nest until her abdomen is full.
Just before spawning, the male lets the female come to the nest and wraps his own body around her. At this time, she hatches a few eggs. The male catches all the eggs and carries them to the nest. This continues until the female spawns completely. During the spawning period, the female hatches on average about 20 eggs.
Immediately after spawning, the female can be put away because she does not take part in the care of the clutch. The eggs incubate for 24-48 hours, after which the larvae hatch. The first 3-4 days the fry eat nutrients contained in their yolk sac, and then begin to eat other foods. the mouth of fry large enough, and they easily eat micro worms and Artemia nauplii. Feed the fry should be small portions of 2-3 times a day.
To prevent intestinal diseases among the fry need a daily change of 1/10th of the aquarium water with fresh water.
The lifespan of a Betta burdigala in aquarium conditions is about 3 years.
