At a glance the quick version
Figures differ by source: FishBase lists 2.0 cm standard length, Seriously Fish 40 mm standard length, Wikipedia 5.0 cm.
Looks how to spot one
Scales, compact mouthbrooding betta
A small, stocky wild betta with a broad head that recalls a snakehead. It belongs to a group with many more spines in the anal fin than other bettas. Like all bettas it can breathe air at the surface.21
Personality what they are like
Small and peaceful with other fish. Pairs and groups show interesting social interactions among themselves.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Low activity; it stays in shallow water among leaf litter and roots.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep a lid on the tank, use soft acidic water and gentle flow, and offer small foods.2
Home where they are happiest
A tank of about 40 litres (45 x 30 cm base) suits a pair or small group. Temperature 23-30 C, pH 4.0-6.5, very soft water (1-5 dGH). Leaf litter, roots, dim light and tannin-stained water recreate its forest-stream home.21
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Feeds on insects and small invertebrates in nature. In the aquarium it takes dried foods along with live or frozen daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm.2
Company who they like around
Can be kept in pairs or small groups; best alone or with very small, calm fish rather than in a community tank.2
The story where it all began
Maurice Kottelat and Peter Ng described it in 1994 from the Mahakam basin of Borneo. Aquarists often label fish by collecting locality, and the population from near Pampang village is the most sought after.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its name channoides refers to snakehead fishes (Channa), whose head shape it resembles.2
- 2
The male carries the eggs in his mouth for roughly 10 to 21 days and then releases fully formed fry.2
- 3
Broods are small, so even ten eggs counts as a good spawn.2
- 4
It has 9 to 12 anal-fin spines, while most other bettas have between none and four.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Endangered (assessed 13 January 2019)1
- Taxonomy
- Family Osphronemidae; described by Kottelat & Ng in 1994; member of the Betta albimarginata group2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Betta Channoides. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Filter rinseevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Betta channoides summary fishbase.seused for origin, size, habitat, IUCN status
- Seriously Fish: Betta channoides seriouslyfish.comused for care, colours, behaviour, breeding, etymology, localities
- Wikipedia: Betta channoides en.wikipedia.orgused for size, distribution
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.