Betta miniopinna
Betta miniopinna naturally inhabits bodies of water located in the northern part of Bintan Island, Riau Province, Indonesia. The fish stay in peat swamp forests and associated streams. These areas are semi-dark, thanks to the dense crowns of trees overhanging the water, and the bottom is lined with a thick layer of fallen leaves and tree branches. The water is usually dark coloured, thanks to the humic acids dissolved in it and other chemicals released during the decomposition of organic matter.
Betta miniopinna has an elongated body with a dark brick colour. The dorsal plumage contains 1 spiny ray and 9-10 soft ones. The anal plumage contains 2 spiny rays and 25-26 soft ones. Males have longer fins and brighter colouration. The maximum size of the fish is 3-3.5 cm.
The fish can be kept in a fully decorated aquarium or in an empty tank, which makes maintenance very easy. Snags and tree branches, ceramic pots and pieces of plastic tubing can be placed at the bottom. Adding dried oak or beech leaves to the bottom will bring the conditions as close as possible to natural ones. Furthermore, the decomposition process will develop colonies of micro-organisms in the leaf litter, which provide good supplemental food for the fry.
Keep Betta miniopinna preferably as singles or pairs in a species aquarium. Keeping in a group is possible, provided there are plenty of shelters in the aquarium.
Lighting should be low. This should be considered when planting plants in the aquarium and select their species that are able to develop normally in such conditions.
Water parameters: temperature 22-28° C, hardness dH 2-9°, acidity pH 4.0-6.0. Fish live in standing waters, so filtration should not be too strong. Cover the tank with a lid so that there is a layer of warm humid air between the lid and the water surface, which the miniopinna betta breathes.
In nature, the diet of the fish consists of small aquatic and terrestrial insects. In aquariums, fish are fed a variety of dry food, as well as live and frozen daphniya, artemia, bloodworms. Dispensed food should be strictly dosed, because the fish are prone to obesity.
Reproduction
For breeding the Betta miniopinna, it is important to arrange a sufficient number of hiding places for the females in the aquarium. Cuttings of plastic tubes and ceramic pots, placed on their sides, can be used as shelters.
The aquarium should have a tight-fitting lid, which some aquarists use plastic film as a cover. Such measures are necessary because the fry need access to a layer of warm, moist air, without which normal development of their labyrinthine respiratory organ is impossible.
Before the female spawns, the male builds a nest inside a ceramic tube or under a large, wide plant leaf. Until he has finished building the nest, the female is not allowed in.
Before spawning, the female's colouring is pale and dark stripes appear on the sides. Spawning takes place in a manner typical of cockerels when the male bends his body around the female's body. At this time, the female hatches a few eggs and the male immediately fertilises them. During the entire spawning period, the female hatches up to 20 eggs.
The spawners do not need to be removed after spawning, both parents will be involved in the care of the offspring.
Larvae hatch after 24-72 hours, remaining in the nest for 3-4 days until the nutrients in their yolk sac are completely consumed. As soon as the fry begin to swim, the parents lose interest in them completely, but the offspring are not touched.
The fry are large enough to start eating artemia nauplii immediately.
The life expectancy of the Betta miniopinna under aquarium conditions is about 5 years.
