Betta kuehnei
The Betta kuehnei lives naturally in small rivers and streams flowing among the rainforest in southern Thailand. The water in these areas has a brownish color due to the humic acids released from the leaf litter and the thick layer of silt on the bottom. The fish got its name after the collector Jens Kühne, thanks to whom it became widespread among aquarists. The fish is recommended to keep trained aquarists.
Betta kuehnei males are larger, have more iridescent scaling on the head, a wider head and elongated fins than females. The body coloration of the fish is grayish with blue longitudinal stripes. The size of fish is 5-6 cm.
Keep Betta kuehnei desirable in a species aquarium alone or in a small harem consisting of 1 male and 2-3 females. Perhaps keeping in a common aquarium with other peace-loving, commensurate in size, not bullying fish.
At the bottom of the aquarium preferably place a leaf bed of pre-dried leaves of beech, oak or almond. In the corners can be installed snags and branches of trees.
Water parameters: temperature 21-25° C, hardness dH 1-5°, pH 6,0-7,5.
Lighting should be low, which is necessary when planting plants in the aquarium, selecting their types, which will normally grow in such conditions. Filtration should not be too strong. The aquarium top should be covered with a tight-fitting cover to prevent cold air from reaching the water surface.
In nature, Betta kuehnei feeds on small invertebrates, insects, and their larvae. In the aquarium, the fish are fed a variety of dry food, as well as daphnia, artemia and chironomid. Fish are ravenous for food and prone to obesity, so they need to feed small portions 2 times a day.
Reproduction
For breeding Betta kuehnei needs spawning aquarium with a tight lid (some aquarists instead of the cover pull the top of the spawning tank foil). Such measures should be taken due to the fact that fry need warm air for breathing and normal development of their labyrinth organ.
During mating games, the male "hugs" his body and lightly bumps against it. At this time, the female hatches a small batch of eggs. The male immediately fertilizes the eggs and collects them all in his mouth.
The eggs are incubated in the mouth of the male 9-16 days, after which it leaves a fully formed fry. Manufacturers can not be put away from the spawning tank, according to many aquarists reviews in this case, the fry develop much faster than if kept in a separate aquarium from the parents.
Fry are large and immediately able to feed on Artemia nauplii. Feed the fry should be 3-4 times a day. To prevent various diseases need daily replacement of 1/10th of the aquarium water with fresh.
The life expectancy of the Betta kuehnei under aquarium conditions is about 3 years.
