Betta macrostoma

**Svein** · 28th Apr 2005, 17:57

Hello folks
I'm lucky? getting a trio of this mythical species during the summer time.

So if some of you have any experience with them it had been nice hearing from you. I breed wild Betta, but i haven't found much lecture about Betta macrostoma, so any help i will be grateful for.
The only thing i know, this will be a difficult job

Regards
Svein

**stormhawk** · 28th Apr 2005, 22:09

Yes I would say that you are VERY lucky.

They must have cost you a fortune. However there's one problem. From my observations of macrostomas I've seen in the shops some time back, there are always a number of sub-dominant males that tend to look like females and have confused many keepers.

Somebody here in SG has bred them in normal tap-water although I must say, those breeders were acclimatised and were F1 from wild pairs that belonged to the owner.

Since its a mouthbrooder and has a big gaping mouth, I would say that it is an ambush predator and the mouthbrooding period should be similar to Betta unimaculata.

Ron has bred two mouthbrooders - simplex and unimaculata - so I suppose he's the best person to help you along. I believe he's been dreaming of the macrostoma for a long time too.

Website of a Bruneian keeper of the macrostoma:

http://uk.geocities.com/mohdnooradnin/

By the way, we affectionately call them Big Mac locally.

On a side note I just bought some coccina, well that's what the shopowner said the supplier imported them as, from a shop that I frequent. Got them cheap though I'm not sure of the sexes. There's many more where those came from.

**Svein** · 28th Apr 2005, 22:55

Tanks a lot Jianyang, everything helps

I think I can manage bubble nest Betta, but i haven't kept mouthbrooder ever, so I starting on a high levels

i will use a combination between UV and RO getting the water I want, together using peat in the filter.

Yes they cost a lot of dollars

so this is madness, but I have to try them one time.

Hope Ron can give some general information about mouthbrooder

Regards
Svein

**stormhawk** · 29th Apr 2005, 01:03

For mouthbrooders the easiest species to start with is generally pugnax but then again even the tank-bred specimens of simplex are also easy to start with.

Yes you're starting on a high level but the risks are always present so I'll applaud you for having the courage to take on the challenge and also for your preparations in housing the macrostomas.

Many people keep rare fish without even knowing how to keep and feed them right in the first place. At least you did your research beforehand.

What I do recall about mouthbrooders is that they generally take anywhere from 10 to 14 days to release the fry. They don't require much space to breed and live in actually. Even a medium plastic tank about 25cm in length is good enough for a pair of unimaculata and simplex as I've seen from Ron's setup.

Another member of the forum who current has unimaculata fry is retro_gk aka Rahul, from India. He just had a new batch of fry appear. Perhaps he can help you out too.

Last resort for information, the Anabantoid Association of Great Britain (AAGB).

**stormhawk** · 29th Apr 2005, 01:06

Here's the AAGB website URL:

http://www.aagb.org/

There's also a thriving community of anabantoid keepers in France, Holland and Germany. Perhaps they could help you out.

Another person to contact would be Jesper Thorup from Denmark:

http://www.fishbreeding.dk

He still has Betta albimarginata "Malinau" and this is on par with the macrostoma in terms of difficulty in sexing some times and also in terms of housing and feeding.

**Svein** · 29th Apr 2005, 01:35

I think some of the exiting with this hobby is the researching, and when you use 300 dollar, then you need to do it

I'm well known to these clubs, and Jesper is a friend of mine,whom I going to visist this summer getting wild betta spl .

I've got Betta persephone from him last year, and now I have 2 breeding pair, and have about 30 fries, not an easy species i think, but a lovely Betta.
A couple pictures:

male

spawning, sorry for the quality, but the water is very dark

Regards
Svein

**stormhawk** · 29th Apr 2005, 01:48

Wow! Again stunning photographs. =D>

Betta persephone aka the Batman Betta is one species that I would like to keep sometime in the future, that is, when space permits.

If you meet Jesper, tell him the guys in Singapore said Hi!.

**stormhawk** · 29th Apr 2005, 01:58

Further data I took from other forums where Betta breeders are active.

Originally posted by 400K (Peter) in Petfrd.com

when it's time for the fries to come out. either put the male in a quarantine tank or
lock up the rest of the macros coz they will eat the fries.

try to take out the fries when the male discharge them.
when he has let go of all his fries, he will eat his own fries.

turn off filter if any and clear the tank of objects like drift wood, plants etc..
becoz they like to take cover.look hard and close becoz they are veri good in hiding and very tiny.

maintaining the water quality at this stage is of utmost importance.

use a air tube as a suction pipe to take out the fries. he can take up to 3 days to totally discharge all the fries. when he stop doin the throat movement(like burping)
more or less all the fries have been discharge. don't gauge by the size of the bulge as there might still be fries in them.

lastly, the new born fries can feed on bbs.

Another breeder keeps his in a 2ft tank filtered with a sponge filter with pH slightly around 6.5.

User 400K (Peter) further states that the fry should appear after 17 to 18 days incubation in the father's buccal cavity.

I hope the info has been of use to you.

**hwchoy** · 29th Apr 2005, 02:34

Svein, shoot for this one next

**retro_gk** · 29th Apr 2005, 03:39

Hi,
As Stormhawk mentioned, I just had a batch of unimaculata fry. They are a week old post release now.

I have a sort of diary up on the aquaworld anabantid forums:
http://aquaworld.netfirms.com/phpBB2...opic.php?t=569

This is my first mouthbrooding betta spawn, very painless in the end, fry ate microworms from day 1...my only fear was the male swallowing the eggs/fry. It was unfounded, he was a model dad!!

Now to start saving up for them macrostomas

BTW Choy, is ocellata considered a valid species?? The IBC site has them listed as a junior synonym. From what I see, ocellata has blue scales, vs green in unimaculata.

**hwchoy** · 29th Apr 2005, 04:15

Yes it is a valid species. The junior synoym in IBC refers to Betta occellata non de Beaufort, whatever that's supposed to mean

**retro_gk** · 29th Apr 2005, 04:33

Hmm, so what are the definitive identifying characters for B. ocellata

**Svein** · 29th Apr 2005, 16:29

If you meet Jesper, tell him the guys in Singapore said Hi!.

I will

and I will try to get him into this forum, he is a clever man

All the input is to great help, I put it into my b macrostoma file

Svein, shoot for this one next

if I had place enough I should have much more Betta, but I have to give priority to my Killis

Tanks folks for the help, and I will come with feedback when somthing happens.
Regards
Svein

**MrTree** · 9th May 2005, 11:47

Originally Posted by retro_gk

Hmm, so what are the definitive identifying characters for B. ocellata

The biggest difference with the real B.unimaculata would be the colors & head shape, B.unimaculata are small species.

As for B.macrostoma, I can't really comment as I never had one in my tanks at home but I know someone who's keeping them in a 1.5 ft tank, only aeration, water change is using mineral water, the pair spawned a couple times and the fries came out too.

Cheers,

10th May 2005, 23:43

Originally Posted by hwchoy

Yes it is a valid species. The junior synoym in IBC refers to Betta occellata non de Beaufort, whatever that's supposed to mean

From what I understand, it means that at some point people mistakenly identified some B. ocellata as B. unimaculata.

**Svein** · 1st Aug 2005, 03:24

I haven't got any B. macrostoma yet, but I have got a good compensation; Betta albimarginata " Malinau" I got 2 pair from Germany, and I'm very happy with them.

Here is one of the male:

Regards
Svein

**Svein** · 22nd Sep 2005, 12:48

A little updating.

The male you see the picture carried eggs for 17 days, and now I have 13 fry. They are 27 days . This is my first mouthbrooder ever, and I have to say, this is very interesting!
here is one of my fry hunting artemia

Regards
Svein

**stormhawk** · 22nd Sep 2005, 13:04

The albimarginata is a beautiful but expensive species here in Singapore. We have breeders that have had quite a fair share of success with this species. I suppose yours came from Michael Schlüter?

**Svein** · 22nd Sep 2005, 13:15

yes this species comes original from Michael, but I didn't buy them from him.
I'm agree, i think this species is overpriced.
Regards
Svein

**RonWill** · 22nd Sep 2005, 20:41

Svein, the price for any fish is subjective. Boils down to how much one is willing to pay for them.

I was working on the albi but someone made me a handsome 3-figure offer I couldn't resist. As it turned out, everyone was happy.

For now, I have devoted a tank for a young wild-caught pair of Macs. Needless to say, I'm fattening them up and will be working hard at it. Also making room for an additional pair from another location.

oh... did I mention my fat pair of Betta channoides?

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