Let’s Talk About the Marine Betta.

[Zionas]

I’m looking at getting one of these. Most sites say the minimum tank size is only 55 gallons which is astonishing considering it grows to 8 inches. My tank will be a 4 foot, 105 gallon tank. Not sure if one of these will be cramped as I think it’s a beautiful fish and I’d love to have one. My biggest concern is I’ve read that many have trouble getting it to eat dry / prepared / frozen foods, that it only eats live foods. I’m also concerned that it will eat smaller fish. My planned tankmates for it are a pair of clowns, 1-2 Basslets, and a Hawkfish, or maybe swap out one of the basslets for a dwarf angel or a YWG+ Pistol Shrimp combo. My Chinese retailer imports Comets from Indonesia and he says he gets them 6-12 cm. I will be getting one 6-8 cm. Heard these guys are some of the most bulletproof and hardy fish out there once they’re settled, and that they can live for really long because they’re groupers.

Would one be safe for my tank? Would it be safe towards my smaller fish? I’m even thinking of switching out a pair of Ocellaris and getting a pair of Fire, Tomato, or Cinnamons instead because they’re a bit bigger, but then I’m afraid of their aggression towards this slow moving giant.

Another worry is that these fish, like a lot of fish, make their way to China from Indonesia (yep, I am a Chinese hobbyist using a VPN). He says he estimates 90% of fish from Indonesia were caught using poison, but he reassured me and said healthy specimens that are already eating and doing well shouldn’t have too big of an issue most of the time. Should I trust him?

If anyone has experience with the Comet, please let me know and give me tips!

[ThRoewer]

Over the years I had probably more than 20 Marine Bettas (a lot more if I count in the ones I bred), never has any of them eaten a fish. Currently I have five, two pairs and one single.

All those reports that claim they eat fish are utterly false. And it isn't just me saying that - I have not seen a single keeper of Marine Bettas report that they have eaten fish. This nonsense that they eat fish comes from books some idiots without first hand experience have written and other authors just copied the nonsense without further checking it.
Yes, there are close relatives of them who eat whatever they can swallow but to the best of my knowledge, under normal circumstances Marine Bettas of the genus Calloplesiops only eat shrimp.
Now, if you let them starve long enough and keep small enough fish with them all bets are off and they might eat them out pure desperation. But so will anemonefish, even without the desperation part. I've seen large clarkii eat sizable gobies if they could get them.

I had and have spawning pairs of Marine Bettas in tanks as small as 40 gallon without issues. These are not very active swimmers who mostly stay in the opening of their caves or before it. They don't swim around like most other fish and therefore need little swimming space.

If you keep your pistol shrimp with gobies they should be safe, especially if you go with the larger tiger pistol shrimp which would be the right ones for the bigger watchman gobies like the yellow.

Most my Marine Bettas came from Indonesia and the Philippines. While cyanide fishing is certainly still an issue in Indonesia it has been prohibited in the Philippines and that prohibition is quite strictly enforced by testing captured fish's excretions for cyanide residues. But even with Marine Bettas from Indonesia I didn't have issues aside from one C. argus who never ate.

I don't see any issues for you keeping Marine Bettas as long as you try to get smaller 3" to 4" specimen.

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[Zionas]

That’s great to hear. Once they grow to their full size of 8 inches though, will my 4 foot 105 gallon tank still suffice or will I have to get a bigger system?

[ThRoewer]

In a smaller tank they usually don't get that big. But I have seen fully grown Marine Bettas in tanks around 55 gallons.
Also keep in mind that about 1/3 of their length accounts for their tailfin. They look larger than they actually are.

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[ThRoewer]

BTW, all my Marine Bettas eat flakes and frozen foods equally well:



Though usually, they prefer the food coming to them and are not too keen to go on a long chase.

[windlasher]

I had one in a 90. It was really boring. Beautiful, but boring. Hung out in the rocks and hardly moved.

[Zionas]

They’re very sedentary, are they? Is that why they don’t require a large tank size despite the fact that they get to 8” tops (according to websites)?


If I keep one I will only have like 5 other fish with it.


Just contacted my LFS: They said they often have trouble getting Marine Bettas to feed. I’ll have to go there myself once the virus situation is more under control and personally inspect up close and personal.

They’re very slow moving. Maybe I’ll even have to hand feed them first?

[AnselnEdie]

I had one in a 50 for 7 years. I definitely wouldn't go any smaller, but based on his behavior and health, I'd definitely feel fine with one in that size again. Very peaceful, but they do have a strong feeding response and a good size mouth. I'd feel ok keeping one with smaller tank mates as long as they weren't really tiny and I was willing to accept that there's some small risk of somebody getting eaten.

Absolutely loved him. He hid and didn't even come out for food the first week I had him, but not long after that, he'd eat out of my hand. Unfortunately, he didn't survive a mishap during a tank move. Still bums me out.

[Zionas]

Sorry about your loss. What happened during the tank move? And how big was yours when you had him? Are they hardy and very bulletproof / disease resistant fish?

Most of all did you have trouble getting it to eat anything other than live foods?

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by windlasher

I had one in a 90. It was really boring. Beautiful, but boring. Hung out in the rocks and hardly moved.

That's why you best keep them in pairs: more out and less boring.

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[ThRoewer]

Old video of the pair I have now in the 100 gallon tank while they were in quarantine shortly after I got them.



And these are my other 3 Marine Bettas, now all together in a 40B. I hope to have them spawn soon so I can raise a batch during the lock-down...

[64Ivy]

Had my guy nearly a year now. Never went after a fish although I've never had him in with anything really tiny and also his tank is really huge (500g). He must be feeling pretty comfortable these days as he's out freely swimming much more than he hides. Began feeding live grass shrimp twice a week and gradually weaned him over to mysis. That took approximately a month

[Zionas]

@64Iby Is yours eating flakes and pellets? All kinds of frozen foods? I’m afraid I won’t have regular access to live foods. Have you found it to be a very durable fish?

[ThRoewer]

They eat frozen, flakes, pellets, whatever the other fish eat.

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[64Ivy]

Zionas: I feed mainly frozen but occasionally I'll throw in some New Spectrum for variety. My Betta will take both PE Mysis and the pellets.

[Zionas]

Great to know yours is eating well. Gives me confidence.

[64Ivy]

Have a bit of patience during the weaning process.

[Zionas]

Yeah, I will. Glad they’re super hardy once acclimated. Mine will definitely be going in as part of Phase 1 of my stocking plan, with the other fish being a pair of Ocellaris Clowns (Darwin variety) and a One-Spot Foxface. Do you see any issues with these other fish?

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by Zionas

Yeah, I will. Glad they’re super hardy once acclimated. Mine will definitely be going in as part of Phase 1 of my stocking plan, with the other fish being a pair of Ocellaris Clowns (Darwin variety) and a One-Spot Foxface. Do you see any issues with these other fish?

The Darwin "variety" of ocellaris is its own species: Amphiprion bicolor.

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[Zionas]

Interesting. Always thought it was just a color mutation. I’m glad they’re widely captive bred because they’re so rare in the wild. Gonna grab myself a pair.

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by Zionas

Interesting. Always thought it was just a color mutation. I’m glad they’re widely captive bred because they’re so rare in the wild. Gonna grab myself a pair.

When Allen did his revision of the anemonefish species he chalked it off as melanism and lumped them together with ocellaris.
He did the same with most species of the clarkii complex which could likely have up to 16 distinct species instead of just A. clarkii and A. tricinctus.
Genetic research into the anemonefish has shown that there are a number of cryptic species hiding in plain sight. It has also shown that the genus Premnas is nothing but a synonym and that all the maroon species (there are at least 2, possibly 4) are monophyletic with Amphiprion and actually form a subclade with the percula and ocellaris complex. See here for more: Anemonefish Evolution — What Does The DNA Say?

[Zionas]

I’ll have a look at the study sometime. Other than that, thanks for sharing. It’s really interesting.

[rhdoug]

I bought a captive bred one from Biota in 2013 and he is one of my favorite fish. He was less than an inch long when he arrived and he somehow survived- despite my doubts. Possibly my favorite fish and is now around 4 -5 inches long. Peaceful, deliberate, slow, and graceful, I have never seen him show any real interest in other fish, even though he is considerably larger than most of them. He does have a love-hate relationship with the Scopas Tang (a resident since 2010). My reef is not large, but the fish appears to be totally comfortable, and I doubt would one have any problems in a tank the size you are planning. There is a large overhang area that he spends a lot of time in, so that may be something to consider for your tank. Even though he can hide, the betta is visible most of the time and always draws comments from visitors. The fish is not overly shy and will often come check me out. He eats frozen foods (mysis, brine shrimp, etc.) and vigorously grazes algae sheets with the tang. Great fish.

[Zionas]

Awesome. How many of you have gotten your Betta to eat pellets and flakes other than ThRoewer? Have you found them easy to wean into flakes and pellets once they take frozen?

Mine is definitely part of “Ohase One” of my stocking plan, right after the OSFF and my pair of Darwin Clowns.