Betta mahachaiensis
The Betta mahachaiensis is naturally found in water bodies located in central Thailand. Most of the areas where these fish can be found are near Bangkok, a city that is developing at a rapid pace, which is affecting pollution and consequently the fish population.
Betta mahachaiensis belongs to the small number of fish which can live in brackish water. Keeping these fish in an aquarium therefore poses a certain challenge.
The males are slightly larger than the females, brighter and have elongated fins. Depending on where the fish live, their tail fins may be rounded or egg-shaped. The size of the fish is 5-6 cm.
Male Betta mahachaiensis often clash with each other, which is why a small aquarium should not contain more than 1 male. The aquarium can contain 1 male and 2-3 females. The cockerels are quite friendly towards other fish. Given the fact that the Betta mahachaiensis lives in brackish water, its neighbours need to pick up fish that can live in similar conditions.
Preferably place a leaf mat of pre-dried oak or beech leaves in the tank. Snags and tree branches can be placed at the bottom.
As fish naturally inhabit sluggish water, filtering the aquarium should not be too strong. Water parameters: temperature 22-28° C, hardness dH 5-20°, pH 7,0-8,5. The aquarium should have a cover or be tightly covered with a coverslip. This is to provide warm, moist air above the water surface for the fish to breathe.
Invertebrates and small insects form the menu of the fish in nature. In an aquarium, the Betta mahachaiensis are fed mainly with a wide variety of dry food. To enhance coloration and immunity, live and frozen daphnia, artemia and chironomid moths are included in the diet. Small insects such as crickets and drosophila fruit flies are also welcome foods. Try not to overfeed the fish as they are prone to obesity.
Reproduction
Breeding Betta mahachaiensis should be done in a spawning tank or a species aquarium. The aquarium top should be covered with a coverslip, as the fry need access to warm, moist air for proper development of the labyrinthine respiratory organ.
Before the female spawns, the male builds a nest in a plastic tube, ceramic pot or under a broad plant leaf. Until the female is ready to spawn, the male keeps her away from the nest.
As soon as the abdomen of the female is rounded, which is a sign that she is ready to spawn, the male attracts her to the nest. In a peculiar hugging process, when the male wraps his body around the female's body, she will hatch a batch of eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs and takes them to the nest. This repeats until the female spawns completely.
The larvae hatch after 24-48 hours and stay in the nest for another 3-4 days, feeding on their yolk sac. During this time, the male is close to the nest guarding the fry. As soon as the fry leave the nest, the male loses all interest in his young. The fry are not touched by the producers.
The fry are fed with infusoria, micro worms and artemia 2-3 times a day. To prevent intestinal diseases among juveniles, 1/10th of the water in the aquarium should be changed daily with fresh water.
The lifespan of a Betta mahachaiensis is 3-4 years.
