# Betta uberis "Kubu" - Beauties in Burgundy



## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

It was love at first sight when a friend showed me a picture of these elegant, beautiful Wilds a few months ago.

I just couldn‘t get them out of my head anymore - no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that they will be too difficult for me to keep.

Well - as you might already guess and after tons of research and talking to knowledgeable people, water experiments and testing - 5 tiny goblins moved in and watching them makes me extremely happy and humble.

The downside is that their wild black water habitats are very endangered and as a human I feel responsible for that even if I don‘t live in Borneo.

I don‘t know how far the journey goes and if it leads to reproduction (hopefully), but if you like, follow my first steps into the world of the Wilds (and expect most of the pictures to be of the same horrible quality as these first ones):


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

Wow! Those fish are great! The tank looks awsome!! Just curious-what are the water parameters and how many gallons is the tank?   🥰


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Thank you!

I was recommended a 14 gallon long, well structured tank (limited with plants though as only a handful thrive in these conditions).

Parameters:
pH: 4-5
Hardness: 2
Alkalinity: 0
Temp: 75
TDS: 80
(these are breeding parameters)

R/O Water filtered with white peat and sphagnum moss


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

Congrats on the cuties!!! I’m very excited for updates on how they do!


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Not easy to spot them - but once food is served they come out from underneath the leaves and particularly this girl…Baby Brine Shrimp is on top of their fav food list so far!


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

How are they doing?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Oh - thank you very much for asking!
They are doing great and have grown since.

It‘s interesting observing their behavior - like 1 male has recently claimed a (new) territory and can now be seen at the front screen.

No real courtship yet though, let alone mating.
A friend of mine has purchased all remaining 17 uberis from the breeder, so now we can compare and spread any possible fry across the country😃.


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

I’m glad they’re growing, they’re so pretty! And that is very exciting that a friend bought the other uberis’s!


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

Feanor said:


> A friend of mine has purchased all remaining 17 uberis from the breeder, so now we can compare and spread any possible fry across the country😃.


Could you send some to greece? Just kidding, parents would kill me! Glad they are growing!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

We had a member who breeds endangered Wilds. I've always admired her for that. Don't know if she still checks in but I'm sure she'll be pleased to see these latest threads.


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

Any update pics?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

The guy who lives front left:


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Great news but still bad pictures from the Burgundies🤗.

They‘re all doing very well and when an aquatic friend came over yesterday to get some fishes and had a look into their tank - he spotted fry. I swear, I look closely every day…never seen fry.

But without any doubt I saw a very well developed specimen - and guess it‘s about a month old. This would be in accordance with the "action" I observed and posted on Jan, 17 th.

Anyhow - it really made my heart jump🥰.

Trying to get some pictures since without success. They are creatures of the leaves…I don‘t even know where the spawning took place and if the male transferred his nest or if he didn‘t.

Once I have grown up fry, I’ll definitely transfer some to a smaller setting to be able to look at things closer.

For the meantime - father or uncle Blurred Burgundy😏😀:


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

Awww, congratulations! It’s such an amazing feeling finding fry! I’m glad they’re doing well ☺


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

You know that feeling very well with your mouthbrooders, right 😊?! I am always glad having fry (and adore the miracle of life no matter what kind of animal). But I am especially happy that these tiny beauties are spawning now despite me being a first timer. The fry possibly profited from all the different tiny food I am cultivating for my VT spawn anyway.

I´ m always giving a bit to the Burgundy tank - but they are easily overfed if you put in too much. You can either feed them very low every day or leave a day or two in between. What´s your experience with your Wilds?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

As to be expected:
Blurred Burgundy Baby photos🤗…


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

Feanor said:


> You know that feeling very well with your mouthbreeders, right 😊?! I am always glad having fry (and adore the miracle of life no matter what kind of animal). But I am especially happy that these tiny beauties are spawning now despite me being a first timer. The fry possibly profited from all the different tiny food I am cultivating for my VT spawn anyway.
> 
> I´ m always giving a bit to the Burgundy tank - but they are easily overfed if you put in too much. You can either feed them very low every day or leave a day or two in between. What´s your experience with your Wilds?


Hehe, yes, I’m quite familiar with it! Since they are so prolific, I honestly don’t try too hard to rear the fry. I’ll add some daphnia and frozen BBS (I have the hatching kit all ready to be set up, I just keep forgetting 🥲), as well as finely crushed food that the tiny fry will go for. The young and the female will happily stuff themselves silly so I try to space out the feedings a little bit more than with my domestic bettas. The female and the two biggest babies dance across the front of the tank and watch me like little sharks, begging me to feed them, lol.

The babies are so cute, I’m so happy for you!!!


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

While I was "serving" food (I think they won’t learn how to beg as opposed to Noodle’s mouthbrooders) I noticed some bubbles on the rear tank screen - behind the Anubias where there‘s almost no surface agitation😊:








And I think it is what I thought😀:








Baking new Burgundies while the youngsters stuff themselves with anything that looks eadible:


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## NoodleTheMysteryBetta (Mar 22, 2020)

That’s so exciting!! They look very happy and it looks like the young are growing well. Thanks for the exciting update ☺


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

A month and 2 spawns later it‘s time for a short update.

Since having suction cupped one of the wooden nesting aids to where I had found the last bubble nest, one couple has successfully spawned another 2 times there:








The other good news is that the male in his territory "front left" seems not to be alone anymore…I just watched him together with one of the juveniles flirting. And obviously it‘s a female and obviously he is very eager to watch over her and I spotted her in his territory quite a few times before. I‘m on my way to grab another suction cup and my drilling device and lift one of his funnels up…😄
Eventually, I‘ll have to try and give them a tank of their own. 

Him:








Her:








Both together:








Sorry again for the blurred images… I guess you‘re used to it by now😬😀.


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

4 months into the "Betta uberis journey" and a good moment for a review:

First of all it seems so much longer ago since they arrived. And I adore them.

It appears that they only need a short time to get accustomed to their surroundings, sort things out territorywise - and off they go. They must have had successfully spawned within 1 month, as I spotted the first young in February and they were at least 1 month old at that time.

I started out with 5 young, unsexed individuals.

Although they obviously must have had a bubble nest with fertile eggs somewhere below the waterline, I got more success when moving my wooden tunnels up and added more floating plants.

Since then I constantly have fry and the number could be increased by using a spawning tank and removing the parents after a while.

But that‘s not what I want, as eventually you‘ll need to find people willing to take and keep them and they will not exactly line up in front of your house…

So I set up a new tank for the 2-3 months old youngsters for the time being and left all current fry with the others since they find more infusoria in an established tank. Have to start advertising those in the new tank before the next batch moves in.

I still feed live food exclusively: Microworms, Vinegar eels, BBS, Grindals and small Tubifex.
No need or courage to change this as parameters stay stable and I have no troubles with any left over food.

So here we are with what gave me some headaches before and turns out not to be so complicated finally☺.

However, there‘s still a lot to learn and I love to share experiences and observations and have a lot of questions pending…

Here is the Betta uberis II tank. There might come the day when I even manage to clean the screens…


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

How're they doing?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Very well! Thank‘s for asking.

Recently I did a head count and gave away all youngsters to experienced keepers. 
I only kept some of the very young ones to grow out.

There were 14 offspring altogether.

I kept my original stock of 5 adults and after having cleaned their tank thouroughly (you never get a better chance ), they were spawning again, maybe 2 or 3 days later.

So I will continue with 1 tank (14 gallons, half filled) and will be pulling youngsters from there to give away. That is much easier and less stress for the fishes compared to clearing 2 tanks and having to remove all plants and leaves and wood before being able to catch them.

As I‘m using worn out peat pellets as a substrate, it is really rather tricky to get them.
But still, I like to stick to that substrate. 
I know, many people use leaves only. Which makes cleaning and catching easier.

The former second tank (Uberis II) is currently waiting for 5 Parosphromenus ornaticauda😁…I‘m really looking forward to keeping (and hopefully breeding) this Licorice Gourami species.

I‘m also on the look out for at least 1 pair of Betta Riau (Api Api). I might be successful midth of June...but can - or rather have to - wait until I get a healthy pair from private breeders.


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

3 different age groups:


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## imaal (Aug 10, 2014)

Just found this thread and what a wonderful thread it is. The fish are glorious and the setting is perfect. No wonder they are reproducing. Well done.


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

Feanor said:


> I‘m also on the look out for at least 1 pair of Betta Riau (Api Api). I might be successful midth of June...but can - or rather have to - wait until I get a healthy pair from private breeders.


Nothing yet, right?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Thank you very much for your encouraging words, @imaal ! I really appreciate. But only time will tell if I manage to keep up a line - right now there‘s no spawning activity and I have to wrap my head around what to alter or if at all.

@betta4ever!: Nothing yet, right. Partly my fault, because I couldn’t attend the big meeting and fair of the German association of Labyrinth "people" (IGL). Someone close by brought another pair of them from the meeting, so I hope to get some offspring once he has them successfully spawning.


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

Any resent spawning activity? Or even better, any resent pics to share  ?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Oh yes - lots of activity!

They are my great joy🥰.

Currently there are fry of different ages as the adults are spawning on a regular basis.

I don‘t filter the R/O water over peat outside the tank anymore, but just keep a filter with peat and sphagnum moss inside the tank and do my water changes with pure R/O.

They were getting some light brownish spots that have disappeared since.














Adult male and one of the smallest fry (there are even smaller ones, but I haven‘t seen them the evening I took the photos).


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

This little fry is adorable ❤


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Thank you!

I plan on getting Betta foerschi in September - although I didn‘t plan on getting any mouth breeders ever… but they are from the same "waters" as the uberis and I‘m in contact with a breeder who has such beautiful youngsters…so we‘ll see.


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

That's so cool!! Betta Foerschi are really beautiful!! They are the big version of the Coccina complex. I'm really excited for you ☺


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## betta4ever! (Oct 5, 2021)

How are your Uberis doing?


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

Reproductive😀.

I‘ve just given away 7 youngsters and still have a fair amount of little ones.

All in all, I‘m very happy with them - thank you for asking!

For me they are still the most beautiful and amazing species in the Coccina Complex.


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## RicardoCorreia (2 mo ago)

Hello.

Congrats on the Uberis. I love them too.

If we where closer I would get a few from you. 😅 

Its on the bucket list.

Best regards,


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