Betta ibanorum
The Betta ibanorum lives in the lower basin of the Kapuas River in the Indonesian province of Borneo Island. The fish can be found in quiet pools with clear water. The water in these areas has a brownish colour due to the humic acids released from the decomposition of organic matter at the bottom. The fish takes its name from the indigenous inhabitants of the northwestern part of Borneo.
The body of Betta ibanorum is brownish in colour. In the rays of reflected light, the fish scales and fins shimmer in all colours of the rainbow. The iris of the eyes is orange in colour. The males are larger than the females and their fins are elongated. The size of the fish is 6.5-8 cm.
The Betta ibanorum is a rather curious fish, which is very interesting to watch. It is possible to keep them in a common aquarium with other smaller or similar-sized peace-loving fish.
The aquarium has a large number of different shelters at the bottom in the form of ceramic pots, snags and rocks. Pre-dried oak or beech leaves should be used as a bedding material, although many aquarists do not use substrate at all, which greatly facilitates maintenance of the aquarium.
Ibana cockerels in nature keep places where semi-darkness reigns, so the lighting in the aquarium should be low. On the surface of the water is desirable to place bushes of floating plants at the bottom to plant plants that are able to properly develop in such conditions, such as Phoenix Moss.
Water parameters: temperature 22-27° C, hardness dH 1-5°, pH 5.5-7.0. Filtration should be weak. Always cover the aquarium with a lid or cover glass. Fish breathe atmospheric air floating on the water surface and are very sensitive to its temperature. When the aquarium is covered with a lid, a layer of warm, moist air will form above the surface of the water.
In nature, the Betta Ibana's menu consists of small insects and invertebrates. In aquariums, the fish are fed Drosophila flies, small crickets, dry flake food, as well as frozen and live Daphnia, artemia and chironomid. The fish should not be overfed as they are prone to obesity.
Reproduction
Put a couple of fish in a separate tank for spawning. Fry need access to warm, moist air, for the normal development of their labyrinth breathing organ, so the aquarium top should be tightly covered with a lid.
During the spawning process, the male wraps his body around the female and she hatch a batch of eggs at this time. The male immediately fertilises the eggs and collects them in his mouth. This continues until the female spawns completely. In total, the male is able to incubate up to 60 eggs in his mouth.
The eggs incubate for 12-17 days, after which the fully formed fry leave the male's mouth. As soon as the fry swim, the producers can be transferred to another aquarium, although some aquarists leave them together with the fry - the parents generally do not touch their offspring.
The fry are fed with Artemia 2-3 times a day. To prevent intestinal diseases among juveniles, a daily change of 1/10th of the aquarium water with fresh water is necessary.
The life expectancy of a Betta ibanorum under aquarium conditions is about 3-4 years.
