Peaceful Betta
Betta imbellis
Osphronemidae
About
The peaceful betta is a wild labyrinth fish from the still, shaded blackwaters, swamps and rice paddies of southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and northern Sumatra. Much calmer than its cousin the Siamese fighter, it wears iridescent green-blue scales and a crescent tail flash rather than exaggerated finnage. Because it breathes air at the surface through a labyrinth organ, it copes with warm, oxygen-poor water but needs a tight lid and a humid air gap above the waterline. Males are still territorial, yet in a large, heavily planted tank with plenty of sightline breaks two males can sometimes coexist alongside several females, making this a fine centrepiece for a soft-water community or a species tank.
Care
Keep in a warm, well-lidded, densely planted soft-water tank of 40 L+ with gentle flow, floating plants and calm tankmates. Best as a pair or a male with several females; avoid fin-nippers and other bettas in small tanks.
Diet
Surface-feeding micropredator; give live or frozen daphnia, cyclops, mosquito larvae, bloodworm and brine shrimp, supplemented with a good carnivore micro-pellet.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (60)
Possible with care (114)
Avoid (97)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Dorsal fin shapeStrong · from about 4 months
In most gouramis the dorsal fin ends differently between the sexes, and it can be read from outside the glass without touching the fish.
- The ovipositorStrong · from about 4 months
A small white tube at the vent, just behind the ventral fins, visible on a mature female from below or head-on. It reads as a single white dot.
- Extended finsA hint only · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male
On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Peaceful Betta need?
- A Peaceful Betta needs an aquarium of at least 40 litres (10.6 US gallons) with a footprint at least 45 cm (17.7 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Peaceful Betta need?
- Peaceful Betta does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 5–7.5 and a general hardness of 1–10 °dGH.
- Is the Peaceful Betta suitable for beginners?
- Peaceful Betta sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.