BETTA BROWNORUM

Betta brownorum, a wild dwarf fighting fish was once found in numbers in the swamplands of Sarawak. This is easily the most beautiful member of the Coccina family. Unfortunately, rapid development take over many of their habitats and it is not easy to find these beautiful gems these days. They still exist in very small pockets of swamplands in highly tannin waters with pH sometimes as low as 3.5. These are wild-caught fishes last January 2010.

Breeding this fishes requires extremely clean water with a pH of 3.5-6.6. My experiences have shown that they will breed in shallow water with a depth of 3 inches up to 7 inches with a lot of Java Moss with the tank receiving indirect sunlight. The down side is they produce extremely small clutches of eggs (9-17 eggs) in a single breeding.

Field Trip to the Kayan River Basin (Revised)

21st October, Wednesday started out as a fine warm day with an ambient temperature of 31'C. A field trip to the Kayan River Basin was the order of the day. We headed up East first as my partner-in-crime (P.I.C.) wanted to visit his parents first. Upon arriving, they were out tending to their rice fields. Rice harvesting has started several days ago. 

Lunch was the next order of the day as we drove into town in search for grub. We headed towards the shops to grab some food to tank up. I, particularly warmed up to the Mee Mamak the first time, cooked by one of the stall operators. 

Unfortunately, the dish tasted different every other next visit. The last meal was quite a disaster as the dish did not resemble Mee Mamak at all, so I’ll be looking for new grub on my next visit.

After lunch, we started heading back towards Kuching and turn into a kampong (village) on the right side, we decided to look around in that area. Pushing our way into the thick undergrowth, we trekked towards the interior until we came across a shallow, clear stream. The temperature difference was immediately noticeable as we entered the jungle canopy as it was cool and comfortable. There were a few persistent mosquitoes determined to make a meal of us. My eyes are now on the lookout for leeches and Assassin bugs, the latter which can cause a really painful bite that last for days.

P.I.C. started sampling and immediately netted a few wild adult Betta ibanorum. This is a common fighting fish in this area. Meanwhile, I had started sampling further upstream. Dipping my net in yielded a few Rasbora caulimaculata, Rasbora einthovenii and Rasbora pauciperforata. Sweeping under the leaves on the sand-bed, there was a small maroon colored fighting fish caught in the net. Betta brownorum but without the greenish-blue spot. I thought unusual to have found this fish in this type of topography. 

Several specimens were caught later, and all fishes lacked spots, which led me to conclude that these could be Betta rutilan. Collecting this fish was time-consuming as they could only be found scattered, almost always singularly. As seen in these photographs, the paler fish is the female as the other fish is the male.

This was a surprising find as I had thought that this specie can only be found in Indonesia. The day was already late so it's time to pack up. There will always be another day. Who knows what one may find next. 

    

 

Betta patoti

Betta patoti, a member of the unimaculata family, this is a large fighting fish from the Indonesian side of Borneo. This fish is an F1 from a wild-caught pair. Found in clear, cold running streams, this fish demands a pH of 4.5-6.5. An excellent jumper, the tank must be covered at all times.


 

BETTA LEHI

Betta lehi, is a large wild fighting fish that is found in mid-land streams in Sarawak. This is a relatively peaceful fish that can be kept with its own kind and in a community tank. Part of their natural diet include insects such as dragonflies which they will leap out from the water to snatch off low-lying leaves.

Males have a greenish-blue gill cover during breeding season while females have a shorter tail. These fishes adapt very fast in captivity and they will start accepting foods (including frozen bloodworms) within the hour if all environment parameters are met. They also have a very curious nature, and are not shy. Water requirements are 5.5-6.8 pH with plenty of tall plants for them to hide. Tanks should be covered tightly as this fish are excellent jumpers. This is a good specie for hobbyists who would like to graduate from beginners to more demanding species.

 

BETTA RUTILAN

Betta Rutilan, a member of the coccina family is the next beautiful fish in this branch. This is a wild male, among several fishes caught near the Indonesian border in Sarawak near a clear fast moving stream. Interestingly, the habitat seems to be different from Betta brownorum's.

Behavior is also different from B. brownorum as it is aggressive towards each other regardless of sex. This is a good jumper (to the author's dismay of losses) so the water level in their tanks have been lowered to prevent them from leaping out. This specie's habitat is threatened by encroaching agricultural activities.


PS : Sorry about the hazy image as it is housed in a very old aquarium, with lots of scratches on the front panel. I will have new images posted up soon on http:// www.flickr.com/eldredsawk/