Betta sp. von Satun

**Humunuku** · 18th May 2009, 20:05

Anyone know about info on Betta sp. von satun?
I just got this species and there appears to be little information to be found. It does not appear on the IBC SMP species list, but is listed in IGL/IAA's bestandslist.

Any info about this species is deeply appreciated.

I've found a good picture available to the public at the bottom of this page on a Polish site, and postings on the german kampffischforum.com mentions that it may belong to the Pugnax complex.

I've got some photos taken the first evening and day two in their new home. I suppose colorations may be more apparent when they've settled in.

Trio, first evening.

Trio, day two.

Suspected female, first evening.

Suspected dominant male, first evening.

Suspected dominat male, day two.

Suspected subdominat male, first evening.

Suspected subdominat male, day two.

Suspected dominant male with suspected female, day two.

**MrTree** · 24th May 2009, 22:42

I look at Horst Linke's picture of sp Satun, it does not have barring on caudal fin but yours have. His fish is totally colored up..so hard to tell..but the Polish site one looks like it...

**hwchoy** · 24th May 2009, 23:37

von Satun simply means "from Satun", so the two names mean the same!

**Humunuku** · 25th May 2009, 02:02

Originally Posted by MrTree

I look at Horst Linke's picture of sp Satun, it does not have barring on caudal fin but yours have. His fish is totally colored up..so hard to tell..but the Polish site one looks like it...

Where did you see this photo by Linke, anywhere public online?

I have found a couple of new info-fragments regarding this species, and previously posted the folowing at the IBC-forum.

The article "The Siamese fighting fish: Well-known generally but little-known scientifically", published bu the Science Society of Thailand, briefly mentions Betta sp. Satun.
... we wish to mention the little known B. sp. Satun which is a less colourful mouth-brooder of southern Thailand.
Its habitats are easy-flowing rivers in the hilly landscape northeast of Satun. It has glowing and vigorous turquoise green on the lower head. It may belong to the B. pugnax complex.

This sounds familiar with the topic in the article "Den Hartwasserfischen der Gattung Betta auf der Spur" from zza-online.de, or "The hard water fish of the genus Betta on the Trail" (in robot-transaltion, which is how I read german web-pages).

Could the Betta sp. Satun be this hardwater mouthbreeding betta?
The biotope could be pH7,5 GH25 and KH15, but it seems that others in within the complex lives in slightly acidic waters, so I'm wondering on how to give my Satuns optimal conditions.

**MrTree** · 25th May 2009, 16:26

it's from a small hand book containing all the Betta species known to Science and hobby (without the two pugnax from southern thailand)..maybe just wait for your fish to color up and see how it turns out. Your dominant male looks like a B.pugnax to me.

**Humunuku** · 25th May 2009, 19:22

Originally Posted by MrTree

it's from a small hand book containing all the Betta species known to Science and hobby (without the two pugnax from southern thailand)..maybe just wait for your fish to color up and see how it turns out. Your dominant male looks like a B.pugnax to me.

What is the title of this book, ISBN?

I thought B. satun was a newly discovered species since it does not appear in the IBC Species list, and that there is so little information to be found regarding this species. It also looks like it was included on the IGL-list this year.

As for the fish to color up - Whats the ideal conditions, slightly acidic or hard water etc.? I guess this is vital for getting them to thrive and color up.

**Humunuku** · 19th Jun 2009, 09:28

Update: Today they spawned. And I was lucky to be able to document it with both pictures and video.

YouTube video,

The clip stars after an embrace where you can se the exchange of eggs.

**johannes** · 19th Jun 2009, 10:30

nice pictures...

thanks for sharing

**yat6661** · 20th Jun 2009, 21:27

hey, where did you buy the bettas?

**Humunuku** · 21st Jun 2009, 17:15

I bought them from my LFS who got them from an exporter in Thailand.

The male was having frozen brineshrimps for breakfast today, so I regard the first spawn as a proof of having a matching pair and satisfying tank-conditions.
I removed a second male that was hiding when not being chased by the pair. And this male or the process of removing him, which was quite discrete, may have caused the breeding male to cancel.

I'm looking forward to a next spawn.