# How easy is this species



## Mcbettas (Sep 22, 2016)

Hello, I'm literally new to the whole wild betta topic, I've taken care of our , well knowed common betta but i decided to try something different. For example mouthbrooders, i know that B. channuides and B. rubra are the good starter fish, but since I've had more experience with other fish, i thought i should go with something harder maybe... soo i chosed B. hendra. I've looked online and gathered some info from seriously fish and so on, but i don't want to get a fish that i don't have the experience to keep. So my question would be, is B. hendra a good species for a medial exp fish keeper ? 

Also does anyone here has an extra pair they would be willing to sell ? 

Thanks for the respond and feel free to post tips and techniques for keeping this fish


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## Mcbettas (Sep 22, 2016)

Edit : this species is not a mouthbrooder, is a bubble nester


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## Nismo83 (May 9, 2015)

they all are the same, B. Hendra under the coccina group need lower pH water for breeding.. and of cuz luck and other food. I am never good with coccina group.. they don't breed under my care.. but they are nice.. it is a pair that I will purchase once my new place is ready


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I must have missed this post somehow. 

Anyway, I exclusively keep and breed fish from the coccina complex, Betta hendra among them. 

The main difficulty with the coccina complex, is that even captive bred fish do best at a low pH/soft water. A pH of 6.5 is about as high as I would go with these fish (I _personally_ don't like to see these fish being kept in higher pH set-ups especially wild-caught stock). So if you can find a suitable water source (whether your tap water or something like RO water) this will make keeping these fish much less of a challenge. 

Personally, I've not found any of the betta species especially difficult to keep (successfully spawning them can be another matter) as long as water conditions are to their liking. They are certainly not a fish I would buy on impulse, but if you've done your research, have prior experience with fish keeping, and not only understand, but are willing to meet, their needs, keeping even the most 'difficult' species shouldn't be an issue. 

http://www.bettafish.com/144-journals/170730-wild-betta-journal.html

If you want more info on how to care for and keep these fish, here's my journal. It's a lengthy read but it may prevent you from making some of the same mistakes I did when I first got into keeping wilds.


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## Mcbettas (Sep 22, 2016)

Thank you both for replying. 

I would love to look through your journal and learn everything that this species needs. 
Would it be better in a smaller tank or bigger, i was thinking keeping one pair in a 10gl tank and IF they breed move them into my empty 45 gl planted tank.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I keep my pairs in tanks between 5-10 gallons. Unless you were housing a large group of these fish, a 45 gallon certainly isn't necessary. They are a fairly sedentary fish, and seem to prefer to carve out small territories, rather than be constantly on the move. 

You don't need to remove them from the tank when they spawn. Fish from this complex shouldn't eat their eggs or their fry. Any fish that does so in my fish room is either sold on or not used for spawning as it's not a trait I want carried onto future generations.


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## Mcbettas (Sep 22, 2016)

Oh ok, yeah i meant moving the fry once they are adult just in case they get crowded in the 10gl


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## Fishnerd.101 (Mar 30, 2020)

What about aggression issues?

I recently got a pair, and the male is chasing around the female. 

Planted 5 gallon, with leaf litter for cover.


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## Fishnerd.101 (Mar 30, 2020)

And there is fin nipping and torn tails


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Aggression is normal with species from this complex (I assume based on the original post you are also asking about B. hendra).

You can have pairs that live together with minimal aggression. Then there are pairs where there may be occasional chasing and fighting, which tends to peak in the early stages of courtship. Then you have pairs where they will seriously injure or even kill their breeding partner.

I wouldn't worry unless the fin damage is particularly severe (these fish are very hardy and I've found their fins tend to recover from damage much faster than the domesticated bettas), the chasing is constant and the female is given no opportunity to rest, or there is nowhere for her to get away from the male. 

I would expect some aggression in the early days. It does tend to taper off the longer the pair lives together. Most of my established pairs, I would tend to only see serious aggression in the early stages of courtship. During this time, it's normal for the male to harass the female, and bite her fins. As they get closer to breeding, the female becomes more assertive, and the male's aggression slowly turns to flirtation.

I have had a male B. coccina permanently blind his breeding partner, and a B. brownorum female decide to attack and kill the male after several months and several successful spawns. So it always pays to remember that these fish have the potential for serious aggression so always be ready to separate if necessary.


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## Fishnerd.101 (Mar 30, 2020)

Yes, i have had some fin and tail nipping, and chasing, but not much damage done. Off-topic, but my female has semi-cloudy eyes. Should this be of any concern?


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