Betta channoides is a small, relatively peaceful species of the B. splendens complex. It is very similar to Betta albimarginata and a great beginner species. Its orange color with white and black accents makes it an appealing Betta species for both beginners and experts.
Betta channoides has a remarkably big mouth, which is developed due to its way of breeding (mouthbrooders). This is where their nickname ‘Snakehead betta’ and scientific name channoides is derived from.
Everything about this fish is fascinating including their breeding ritual. As they are mouthbrooders, the breeding of these species is a little more difficult than other Bettas, but it can be done if you have the right knowledge. This article will teach you everything you need to know in order to breed these amazing fish.
Origin
Snakehead fighter, sometimes known as Betta channoides, is a Borneo endemic species that can only be found in Kalimantan Timur. It lives in brown-water stream shallows inhabited by acidic brown-water forest streams. In addition to the Mahakam River in Kalimantan Timur, Betta channoides have been observed at Sungai Medium, Maurapahu, and Mujup.
Lifespan
In the wild, these species have a 3-5 year lifespan. However, according to many aquarium owners, these fish live for 2-3 years as is true with other bettas.
Betta Channoides Price
Betta channoides price is about $59.95 for a pair. These beauties are considered an endangered species and are listed in IUCN Red List.
Breeding
It's quite simple to breed this species. Betta channoides is a paternal mouthbrooder just like Betta mahachaiensis. That means, males keep the eggs in their mouths as they develop. This fish, unlike other popular bubble building aquarium bettas, does not construct nests.
Because of the surroundings in which Betta channoides reside, this is how they reproduce. The majority of bubble nesting species can be found in mainland Asia in shallow ponds with a lot of vegetation. In these habitats, bubble nests would be visible from a long way off and destroyed by the current. There are some advantages to this method of reproduction, including a higher survival rate and protection.
How Do I Tell Males From Females?
Finding out whether a fish is male or female can be difficult, especially when they are young. Even as adults, some of them are difficult to tell apart. You may need to wait until they're ready to breed before you know if there's a pair.
In general, Mouthbrooders males and females are roughly the same sizes as adults, although males occasionally grow to be slightly larger. At breeding time, they can be distinguished by their comparable tones. Males have larger heads due to the necessity of room to carry eggs and fry.
This is typically apparent rather quickly. The head of young mouthbrooders from above has an upside-down "U" shape for the young males, while the head of young mouthbrooders has a more rounded shape in females.
Conditioning Bettas for Breeding
When breeders talk about conditioning their bettas, they are referring to the time (usually two weeks) when they provide their fish with the greatest possible diet and housing in order to prepare them for reproduction.
The food is changed to encourage females to ovulate and males to accumulate energy so that they may feed themselves throughout the rearing of fry. Clean water and high-protein foods can help your bettas build up their strength so that they may survive the spawn and the following period when the male is solely concerned with caring for the eggs, as well as any injuries she might have sustained. These are the two important factors in Conditioning Bettas for Breeding:-
Check the Status of Your Aquarium's Water Parameters
During the conditioning, period check your water parameters daily and make sure they are stable. As this is a critical time for your fish, any sudden changes in the water parameters could result in your fish not spawning or even dying.
Feeding Procedure for Breeding Pair
Before breeding your bettas, it's critical to offer them a high-protein diet. To introduce them to a variety of high-protein foods, try this method. Variety is important for good nutrition and balance. You can feed them dry foods, frozen foods, or live foods but make sure you feed them.
Increase the number of feedings to 3 or 4 per day, but keep portions tiny to avoid constipation or bloating. Live brine shrimp or gel, white worms, Live grindal worms, flightless or wingless fruit flies, blackworms, Mysis shrimp, daphnia, glass worms, and frozen tubifex worms are all excellent foods.
Live Tubifex is often parasitized or contaminated with germs; therefore it's preferable to avoid it. Some breeders add frozen Beef heart to their bettas' diets during conditioning, though it is not part of a betta's natural diet. It's available in most fish markets' freezer sections. Keeping live foods requires special attention to cleaning and storing them correctly in order to minimize the danger of passing illnesses on to your bettas.
Breeding Tank Setup
To breed Betta channoides, two individuals of this species must be maintained in pairs. In order to ensure good relations between the two, it is best to keep them in a well-planted tank with plenty of hiding places. Adding a lot of leaf litter, plants, and stones will give the impression that the environment is more like its natural habitat.
It will take time to get used to one another, so be patient. When a pair is relocated to a special breeding environment, the most effective results are achieved. Spawning will usually occur in the early morning hours or late evening. A 15-20 gallon tank with only one couple in it is ideal. There isn't much you can do to trigger spawning; pairs will spawn when they're ready. Keeping them at a higher temperature (78°-82°) or reducing the pH level (5.5-6.0) of the water may help, but is not necessary.
Spawning Process
Like any other bettas, the spawning process begins with the male chasing the female around the tank. The two will eventually stop and the male will start displaying. He will quiver his body and flare his gills in an attempt to look as big as possible. Once he is finished with his courtship dance, the female will approach him and deposit her eggs.
The male collects the eggs in his mouth, while the female may collect them and spit them to him. It might take many hours to complete. Some males hang near the water's surface while others hide in "caves." While he holds the eggs in his mouth, he may not eat everything at once; however, it is thought that some of them might nibble little by little.
The eggs are about 1-2 millimeters in diameter. Betta channoides' eggs are significantly larger than those of bubble nesting fish and take longer to develop. Because Betta channoides is a tiny species and males can only hold a limited number of eggs, batches are quite small.
On average, 5-12 eggs are laid. The hatchling period is generally 1 to 2 weeks long, and males care for the eggs during this time. Sometimes in some rare cases, it takes 2-3 weeks to hatch. Avoid feeding the pair for the first couple of days because the male might be tempted to swallow the eggs.
Instead, after 3-5 days, net out the female and put her in a separate tank so she can eat. Do not feed the male until he spits out all the fries. After that, he'll release the fully developed and independent fry, which is around 5mm in size.
How to Select the Perfect Breeding Pair?
If you are looking for a breeding pair, it is best to select two healthy fishes of the same age and size. This will ensure that they are both strong and capable of breeding. The best age for breeding is 4-12 months.
Selecting a pair at random can lead to problems. For example, the male might not be interested in the female or the female may not be interested in the male. It is also important to select a healthy breeding pair, as sick fish may pass on their illnesses to the other fish.
How Do I Know When Spawning Is Over?
After fertilization, the male will go away to brood the eggs. His coloration, particularly around the head, will become considerably darker in many cases. He'll hang out in a corner out of the way.
Males that hang out near the surface in floating plants nestle inside flowerpots instead. Some females, on the other hand, will roost together in a single cave, with only their heads poking out. Some males will eat while brooding; others don't consume the whole time.
Why Should I Remove the Female Betta Fish From the Tank?
Once the spawning process is over, it is best to move the female betta out from the tank. There may be times when the female wishes to continue spawning. She may attempt to attach the male betta carrying the eggs as a result of her aggressive behavior if this happens. The eggs will be damaged as a result of this. However, in most cases, the cause is rather straightforward: after spawning, the female will attempt to eat her own eggs.
Rasing Fry
It takes 1 to 2 weeks for the eggs to hatch and another week or two for the fry to become free-swimming. After the male has discarded its fry, both parents should be removed from the tank. The fry may develop in their own tank, which will be advantageous for the fry's growth rate.
A filter is beneficial for raising fry. For the development of the fry, keeping the amount of waste in your water as low as possible by doing a lot of water changes and adding a filter is crucial. This filter, like other types of aquarium filters, should not have a high flow rate (max 3-4x volume).
A simple sponge filter or air-powered sponge filter is the most ideal for small tanks because they have a very low flow rate. However, for larger aquariums, a box filter with an air stone would be more appropriate.
What to Feed Betta Fry?
After being set free, male bettas guard the yolk sack of the Baby Betta channoides for a few days while still consuming it. The fry must be fed live baby brine shrimp or micro worms gradually every two weeks, around every four hours.
After 36 hours, the tiny fry will drop out of the nest and fall to the bottom, and the male will immediately retrieve them and blow them back into the nest. When they are set free, they must find their own meals.
Lots of tannins, such as catappa/Indian almond leaves, should be used to boost development speed. They will help your fry survive longer by providing them with greater resistance.
Steps to Take Care of Betta Fish After Breeding
The male betta fish will continue to take care of the fry until they are able to fend for themselves, which generally takes around two weeks. After that, it is important to remove the male betta from the fry's tank so that they can grow without being disturbed.
Taking good care of your fries is essential, but taking great care of male betta fish is a must since he may not have had time to eat while caring for the fry. After the breeding process, the body of the adult fish appears to be pale and exhausted and it is important to give him a break by not breeding him again for at least 2 To 3 months.
There are several distinct types of food available to male bettas to keep them healthy. Feeding live foods, such as baby brine shrimp or bloodworms, is one way to do this. Frozen or freeze-dried foods such as mosquito larvae, Tubifex worms, and pinkie mice are also great options.
Pelleted food is a good source of nutrition for bettas and should constitute the majority of their diet. You can also give them fresh vegetables, such as blanched zucchini or spinach leaves, and fruits, like diced apple or banana.
It is very important to keep a close eye on the water quality when breeding betta fish, as the fry are very sensitive to environmental changes. Doing frequent water changes and adding a filter will help keep the water clean.
Betta Channoides Facts
- Betta channoides is a species of betta endemic to the Indonesian island of Borneo.
- Betta channoides have also been found in locations such as Sungai Medium, Maurapahu, and Mujup alongside the Mahakam River in Kalimantan Timur.
- They are mouthbrooders, meaning the male carries the eggs and fry in his mouth until they hatch. Because of this, they are known to have largemouth.
- Unlike any other bettas, they don't build bubble nests.
- They're labyrinth fish, which means they have a labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe air from the surrounding water.
- Their fins and ventral’s are black in both male and female betta channoides, with a white border.
- They are also called snakehead bettas. The name comes from their snake-like appearance and their head's form, which is similar to that of snakes.
- Betta channoides and betta albimarginata are closely related and often confused with one another.
- The Betta channoides species has a typical length of 35-40mm, which corresponds to about 1.4 to 1.6 inches.
- Betta channoides are often recommended as a beginner wild betta species for those who want to go off the beaten path. They're adorable, stay tiny, and aren't particularly aggressive.
FAQ
What Is the Best Time to Breed Bettas?
Bettas breed best when they are young (ideally 4-12 months; maximum age 14 months), and the fry could be unhealthy or undesirable if you obtain poor genes.
How Do Betta Channoides Breed in the Wild?
B. channoides are mouthbrooders, which means the male collects the eggs in his mouth and incubates them there until they hatch. The female will approach him and deposit her eggs in the wild.
The male collects the eggs in his mouth, while the lady may collect them and spit them to him. The shallow water and dense vegetation of South East Asia's slow-moving streams and ditches provide the ideal environment for spawning. The breeding process is similar for both domestic bettas and wild bettas.
Are Snakeheads Related to Bettas?
Snakehead fishes are a type of Asian and African freshwater fish that are related to gouramis and bettas but which more resemble short, stocky eels in appearance.
What Size Tank Does a Betta Channoides or Snakehead Betta Need?
A ten-gallon tank is an absolute minimum for a B. Channoides or snakehead betta, with twenty gallons being preferable. Larger tanks will allow for more hiding places and reduce stress levels.
Are Snakehead Bettas Easy to Keep?
This is a fantastic choice for first-timers. These fish may be kept in pairs, in species aquariums, or in mixed aquariums. They can live alongside other animals as long as they are of the same size. You don't have to put out a lot of effort for them since a simple Betta channoides aquarium setup is sufficient.
How Many Babies Are Produced During Spawning?
The average number of eggs that a betta fish deposits during its spawning is 40 to 50. However, this figure varies dramatically from fish to fish. Some experts who have bred betta fish claim that their fish lay up to 500 eggs.
Is It Possible to Cross-breed Bettas?
Betta fish species, such as crown tails, veil tails, Halfmoon bettas, or delta bettas, are all the same species and can therefore be crossed. However, this may frequently result in ill-formed fins. Because betta fish are often generated so selectively in their kind, cross-breeding different types may expose the fry to health problems or abnormalities.
Can I Breed My Own Betta Fish?
Yes, you can breed your own betta fish by following the steps mentioned in this article. You'll need a male and a female betta fish, as well as a tank. The fry must be fed live baby brine shrimp or micro worms every two weeks, at around four-hour intervals.
After 36 hours, the tiny fry will fall out of the nest and drop to the bottom, and the male will quickly pluck them up and blow them back into the nest. They must now learn how to find their own food after they are set free. Many types of tannin, such as catappa/Indian almond leaves, should be used to speed up development. They will help your fry stay healthier longer by providing them with greater resistance.
Betta Channoides Vs. Betta Albimarginata
B. channoides and betta albimarginata are both wonderful beginner fish. While both are bright species of betta, whereas betta channoides have a completely red-orange fin bordered on top by white, betta albimarginata have dark or frequently black dorsal fins.
Final Thoughts
Betta channoides or snakehead bettas make great beginner fish. They are preferred by many due to the ease of maintenance. These peaceful fish can be kept in pairs or in groups and can live with other fish in a community aquarium as long as they are of the same size. If you're looking for an interesting, eye-catching fish to add to your tank, then a betta channoides or snakehead betta is a great choice.
However, breeding these mouthbrooding species can be a little tricky. Setting up the tank and providing the right environment are essential for spawning. Taking care of the fry can also be a challenge, but it's well worth it when you see your beautiful little fish.
Make sure to feed them a high-quality diet such as live meat-based food or frozen foods along with taking care of their water conditions, so they can become healthy adults. By following the tips in this article, you'll be on your way to breeding healthy and happy betta channoides or snakehead bettas.
