Keeping and Breeding Betta edithae

[johannes]

Betta edithae hails from Bintan, Bangka and recently it was caught in Kalimantan as well, probably a cf. edithae (i think). Their maximum size is 6cm.
They can be housed in pair or a group of 4 in a 1 ft cube tank (with all 3 sides covered) with slow flowing filter and plenty of vegetation to enhance their coloration.
They do best in temperature of around 28 degrees but not so critical in terms of pH values (5.5 - 7). Soft water is preferred but not a must.
Like most Bettas, live/frozen food (tubifex, frozen bloodworm, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, etc) are preferred but they can be trained to eat pellets/flakes.

Betta edithae is a mouthbrooder, after the mating embrace whereby the eggs are laid and fertilized, the female will scoop the eggs in her mouth and spit them to the male. This is repeated until all the eggs are exhausted.
Incubation time is around 10-12 days, depending on temperature, after which the male will release 20-40+ free swimming fries. The approximately 5mm fries are able to eat newly hatched brine shrimp or daphnia immediately.

Anyway, they are fairly easy to breed and i have managed to breed them few years back. On Tuesday I went to a friend's house and saw a brooding male B. edithae of his and decided to strip him. stripping pictures will be posted by him.

Here are my old pictures of B. edithae
Male


Female


Brooding male with female near him

[900801]

Gently stroking the bottom part of the mouth to let it spit the fries out. The fish wasn't harmed in the process.


After spitting out all the eggs


Male with fries

Male with fries

[johannes]

The male looks thin because of brooding the fries for 10 plus days... better pump him back

[900801]

Yep dont worry, it's been eating frozen blood worms since's i took out the fries.

[Enda]

That's a sweet fish! Do keep us updated on how the fries do. Actually, I'm curious: is it better to strip a male or to let the parents raise the fry? Do the parents often eat the fry?

[johannes]

Normally i don't practice stripping the male. i will let the male release in the main tank*; another option is, i will catch the male 1 day before the estimated release date into another tank and let him release the fries there^.

*This way, most of the time you have less yield as mothers/older siblings tend to snack on the fries, however, it varies from species to species.

^You have more yield as the dad don't eat the fries at all and you can raise the fries separately and won't disturb the main tank if you want to separate/catch them later on. Another advantage is that you can let the father rest for few days as sometimes, the moment the male release, he will be brooding again in the next 2 days. I definitely prefer this method whenever possible.

[bettafantastic]

Thanks for sharing this interesting thread

[Unmarked]

Hi guys. Sorry for digging up an old thread but it is quite hard to find information on betta edithae.

I have an edithae but I'm not sure if it's a male or female. Just wondering if anyone here can help me sex it. I've attached some photos for reference. Hopefully they are helpful.

20131031_130950.jpg

This is what it normally looks like in the day.

20131009_185333.jpg

The stripes and spots show up like this mostly at night or when I darken the room by drawing the curtains.

Also,I'm looking for another edithae as a companion for this one. Is it advisable to have a pair in a 1ft tank? If so, where can I possibly find another edithae? (This one was given to me by a friend)

Thanks a lot for your help!

[stormhawk]

Possibly a young male. Via Johannes's post, 1 ft for a pair is good enough. I have no idea where you can get another edithae, but I remember there is a farm in the LCK area that stocks wild betta. Alternatively, you might have to post an ad in the Marketplace.

[Unmarked]

Thanks stormhawk!

I noticed what Johannes had said after reading his post again but thanks for pointing it out! Are you able to recall the name of the particular farm? As for posting in the Marketplace, I don't think I have enough posts to do so yet. Only joined AQ a few days back

[Shi Xuan]

Thanks stormhawk!

I noticed what Johannes had said after reading his post again but thanks for pointing it out! Are you able to recall the name of the particular farm? As for posting in the Marketplace, I don't think I have enough posts to do so yet. Only joined AQ a few days back

Farm name is Sungei Tengah 8 at Choa Chu Kang. Convenient if you're driving because it's quite near to the entrance leading to the farms. A bit of a hassle if you're taking public transport.

For wild betta, I think it's unlikely that you will find anyone selling them even if you post in the Marketplace. Best would be the farm mentioned.

[Unmarked]

Thanks for the info Shi Xuan! Will head over when I have the time. I don't have a car so yeah, it's public transport for me.

[Shi Xuan]

Thanks for the info Shi Xuan! Will head over when I have the time. I don't have a car so yeah, it's public transport for me.

If that's the case, then I would suggest that you take the MRT to Choa Chu Kang station and hail a cab down to the farm. Just let the driver know it's Sungei Tengah 8. I'm sure he knows the way.

[akillifan]

The boss of ST 81 do not sell singles, take note.

[Unmarked]

Noted. Thank you!

[johannes]

Hi Unmarked, yes yours seems to be a male.
I have heard of the new place selling wild bettas at Sungei Tengah 81 but i have not been there.

[Unmarked]

Thanks Johannes. It flared up and got pretty agitated when I hold up a mirror to its tank. Do females also exhibit such behaviour? From your experience, how well do edithaes do with tank mates? I intend to start a 1.5ft planted tank soon and hope to be able to put this guy in it with a couple of yamato shrimps and otos. I'm worried that he might end up attacking the shrimps and otos.

[johannes]

Females are more docile.
I guess they will not disturb your oto but may try to attack the shrimp.
Usually I do a species tank for them but I am sure they can live peacefully in a community tank with suitable tank mates.

[Unmarked]

Thanks Johannes! I would love to do a species tank too if I could get enough of them. But for now, I'll try a community tank and see how it goes.

[Rutilans]

In the first place where to get b.edithae?
Didn't see any at sungei tengah.
and anybody know where to get Persephone?