Betta prima
The Betta Prima or Prima cockerel is generally an unsightly fish, which largely explains why it is rarely seen in aquarists' collections. In the wild, these fish can be found in the Mekong River basin in Cambodia, Laos and southern Vietnam. The fish stay in forest channels and swamps with clear water. The substrate in these areas consists of leaf litter, snags, boulders and small stones. The fish usually hide in the shade of trees overhanging the water. Due to the decomposing organic matter on the bottom and the humic acids released, the water is brownish in these areas.
Betta prima has a pale greyish, with a turquoise sheen, body colour The males are larger than the females, their heads are wider and their fins are elongated. The females have faintly contrasting longitudinal stripes on their bodies. The size of the fish is 4-5 cm.
Keep Prima cockerels preferably in a species aquarium or as a last resort in a community tank with small, peace-loving fish. Can be kept together as a pair, and a group of fish, in the latter case, the fish will show more interesting behavior.
The minimum size of the aquarium is 50 liters. About 4 fish may be kept in it. For ease of maintenance of the aquarium can be without substrate, but if you want to create fish conditions as close to natural, at the bottom to arrange a leaf bed of pre-dried oak or beech leaves. This substrate will develop microbial colonies during decomposition, which provide additional food for the fry. Furthermore, snags, ceramic pots and small stones should be placed at the bottom.
Given that the fish do not like bright light, the lighting in the aquarium should be low. This should be considered when placing in an aquarium, live plants and select their species, which can normally develop in such conditions, such as Cryptocoryne schulzei.
Water parameters: temperature 23-27° C, hardness dH 1-10°, pH 4.0-7.0. Fish do not like strong currents, so filtration should not be too powerful. Due to the fact that the Prima Roosters breathe atmospheric air, floating after it to the water surface, the aquarium top should be covered with a lid, which prevents the entry of cool air, which the fish are contraindicated.
The Betta prima feeds on invertebrates and small insects in the wild. Under aquarium conditions the menu consists of a variety of dry, frozen and live food: daphnii, artemia, moth. Also, if possible, feed small crickets and Drosophila fruit flies. Feed strictly dosed, as Prima cockerels do not know the measure of food and are prone to obesity.
Reproduction
Under acceptable keeping conditions, fish spawn periodically without external interference, but in this case the number of surviving fry may be low. To save the stock of fry fish, it is advisable to spawn in a spawning aquarium specially designated for this purpose.
The spawning tank should be covered with a lid or cover glass from above, as the fry need access to warm, moist air for their labyrinthine breathing organ to develop properly.
During the pre-spawning games, the male swims up to the female and wraps his body around her. At this time she will hatch a batch of eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs and collects them all into his mouth.
After the female stops spawning, the male leaves the spawning site and hides in a shelter. The eggs are incubated in the male's mouth for 7-12 days. During this time, the male should not be disturbed, otherwise he may spit out or swallow the eggs. The fully mature fry, capable of living an independent life, leave the male's mouth. At this time, the producers should preferably be removed.
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The fry are fed with Artemia, micro worms and special fry food. The fry should be fed 2-3 times a day. Daily change in the spawning tank 1/10th of the water with fresh, which will avoid intestinal diseases among the fry.
The life expectancy of a Betta prima under aquarium conditions is about 3 years.
