Tag Archives: splendens

Betta imbellis

4. February 2022

For many Betta imbellis is the prettiest wild fighting fish at all. Of course, “the” Betta imbellis does not exist at all, because the widespread species looks somewhat different everywhere. It is the sister species to Betta splendens and in fact no human being is able to distinguish completely decolorized specimens of both species from each other. The only sure difference between Betta imbellis and B. splendens is the coloration of the gill covers of the males. These are blue in B. imbellis, while in B. splendens they have two red vertical stripes.

Often Betta imbellis is called the “peaceful” fighting fish, so to speak as a counterpart to the “warlike” B. splendens. But this is nonsense. It is possible to keep several males together in all wild forms of fighting fish – provided there is enough space and good structuring of the aquarium – also in the case of B. splendens. Conversely, territorial males of Betta imbellis can also attack male rivals quite violently. However, in such cases (as well as with wild forms of B. splendens) it usually remains with quickly healing fin damage.

We have just very nice offspring (xlg) of B. imbellis in the stock.

For our customers: the animals have code 382014 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Hellboy II

6. August 2021

Some time ago we introduced a short-finned fighting fish breeding form (“Pla Kat”) of Betta splendens as “Hellboy”. (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/betta-splendens-pla-kat-hellboy-and-giant-halfmoon/). Now we have received Pla Kat under this name from Thailand again, but they differ from the first Hellboys in color and fins.

The new Hellboys have a halfmoon tail fin, which means that when the tail fin is folded completely out, the edges are at a 90° angle to the longitudinal axis of the body. In a “normal” Pla Kat, this angle is smaller.

While the first Hellboys were predominantly red in color with a few speckles, they are now still red-grounded fish – hence the name, which refers to the comic and movie character Hellboy, an all-red, friendly but belligerent demon – but they have quite different cover colors, ranging from silvery-white pelts to koi patterns.

Thus, the new Hellboys are visually quite different from the first ones – as in the Hellboy movies, because in the third part the main character Ron Perlman is replaced by David Harbour, who also looks different…

For our customers: the animals have code 390082 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Pla kat Yellow cheek Spadetail

11. June 2021

The first documented domesticated form of the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) was a Spadetail. That was in 1849. At that time certainly fighting fishes were bred for a long time, but they resembled more or less the wild fishes and were selected only for their fighting characteristics. The appearance of these animals was a minor matter. Only much later, when fighting fish were bred for export as ornamental fish to Europe and the USA, were veil-finned animals also bred. This was shortly after the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.

Nowadays the spadetail has largely disappeared. We have now received very interesting and rare spadetails with yellow ground color and bright yellow gill cover stripes (in the wild species these are red) from Thailand, the mother country of fighting fish breeding. Short-finned fighting fish are generally called pla kat. 

During the photo session we had to look carefully the animals did not hurt each other. Because unlike most Betta splendens, the animals of the Pla kat Yellow cheek Spadetail bite very early, when other forms still display harmlessly for a long time. Our trick: there were 10 adult females in the tank. So the males always dsiplayed only briefly (a few seconds) and were immediately distracted from each other again by the ladies. We can therefore assure you, dear readers, that all fighting fish involved in the photo session were brought back into their single rooms completely unharmed,

For our customers: the animals have code 390071 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos. Frank Schäfer

Brochis splendens “Rio Negro

6. November 2020

Via Manaus we have been able to import splendid Brochis splendens. The Emerald Cat comes from a huge area, from Peru to the Pantanal in Brazil; based on the experience with other Corydoras it is more than likely that there are several species hiding behind the name “Brochis splendens”. But such things should be subject of a scientific revision and not the speculation of hobbyists. One should only be aware that it makes little sense to assemble a breeding group from different imports from different countries of origin. For further variations see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/brochis-splendens-and-b-cf-splendens-cw-35/

For our customers: Brochis splendens “Rio Negro” has code 212496 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Veiltail

24. August 2020

The history of becoming a domesticated animal is hardly researched for many species and is full of secrets, as it is with Betta splendens. There is some evidence that its true domestication only occurred after the collapse of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century. Before that, Betta splendens had been used for fish fights, but with specimens from the ditch next door. First secured evidence of a true breeding form (a short-finned fighter type with a lancet-shaped, pointed tail fin) only exists from the early 19th century. The Veiltails even originated in Thailand between the world wars, first imports into the USA and Germany took place in the 1920s.

In 1978 all types of fins (Crowntail, Double Tail, Half Moon, Veiltail, Pla Kat etc.), as they are admired and bred all over the world today, were known for a long time already, they were just called differently and in the trade they were not represented, only by a handful of specialists. In the trade one found only „Veiltails“ in their various colours. Only at the turn of the millennium this changed, a Betta-Hype developed and for the first Crowntails, which suddenly appeared in the general ornamental fish market, fantastic prices were achieved.

The Betta-Hype is still going on. Nice! But – and this is also nice – the well-known Veiltails did not fall into oblivion. If you take an unbiased look at the “completely normal” Veiltail shown here, it is easy to see why…

For our customers: Veiltail bettas in all colours have code 390003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Pla Kat Halfmoon Galaxy Candy

9. September 2019

Sometimes you don’t know what to admire more: the breeding skills of Betta freaks or their creativity in inventing new names. However, these candies are real beauties; each animal is individually patterned and spotted, so they are unique! Our dear friend Kamphol has sent us an exclusive collection of these beauties from Thailand.

For our customers: the animals have code 390070 on our stick list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

New Bettas (1): Spade Tail

24. May 2019

Once again Kamphol has provided us with very special breeding fighting fish, which currently enjoy particular popularity among the breeders of these fish jewels in Thailand. The “Spade Tail” is one of them.

Basically there are different possibilities in animal breeding to get to new forms. One way is to inbreed as closely as possible, whereby hidden (“recessive”) genetic traits come to bear and become visible. The second way leads via crossing with closely related species. The latter way is very common with swordtails and guppies, but also works with Bettas. Local wild bettas (B. imbellis, B. smaragdina and others) have probably always been crossed with the domestic animal forms of Betta splendens. The Spade Tail cannot deny Betta smaragdina in its pedigree…

For our customers: the animals have code 391016 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

New Bettas (2): “Alien Blue”, “Alien Steel Blue” and “Alien Green”

24. May 2019

These new Betta types were certainly also bred by crossing in wild species, in this case Betta stiktos seems to have been involved; “Alien Green” looks de facto like a B. stiktos. They are all very slender Bettas, they have much more of the heritage of the Betta smaragdina alike forms to which B. stiktos belongs than of Betta splendens. The behaviour is also more similar to that of wild bettas from the B. smaragdina group than that of the immediate B. splendens group. They are – at least from the photographer’s point of view – almost too peaceful, the fights short and little ritualized. However, we advise against keeping several males together, as this could end badly in the long run; after all, one wants to enjoy the sight of these beautiful animals from specimens with undamaged fins. 

For our customers: “Alien Blue” has code 391020, “Alien Steel Blue” code 391022 and “Alien Green” code 391021 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens “Black Samurai”

25. April 2019

Once again we have received a beautiful fighting fish breeding form, this time even in pairs: the animals are called “Black Samurai” in a melodious way. They are very lively fish, true temperament bolts, which actually deserve the name “fighting fish”. Excited males make little difference between males and females, both are heavily turned on. For breeding attempts it is absolutely recommended to only use absolutely ripe females, otherwise there could be bloody honeymoons…

For our customers: the animals have code 390083 on our stocklist. Please note that we only deliver to wholesalers. Only available in small quantities!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens “Pla Kat Hellboy” and “Giant Halfmoon”

25. January 2019

Again our proven supplier from Thailand sent us some special Betta delicatessen. The Pla Kat Hellboy is a velvet red, short-finned fighting fish, very often with blue scales (there are also plain red ones). The very special thing about it: the also deep red colored pectoral fins. 

The Giant Halfmoon are real giants and have only been selected for this characteristic. The colouring of each individual animal is different. Their total length is 7-8 cm, with normal Bettas 4-5 cm. On some pictures you can see an adult Hellboy together with one of the Giants. You can also see that the body mass of the Giants is considerably larger than that of the Hellboy, which is only about 2 cm smaller. One can compare the Giants with cold-blooded horses: rather friendly giants. It takes quite a while until they begin to impress each other in the photo tank. Nevertheless, it is also true for the Giants that only one male may be cared for per aquarium, otherwise you risk at least damaged fins.

For our customers: the Pla Kat Hellboys have code 390082, the Giant Halfmoon 390556 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens “Crown Tail Thai Flag”

28. November 2018

Three-coloured fighting fish have been around for many decades, they are usually called “Butterfly Bettas”. At the moment we have some specimens of a not only beautiful, but also symbolic Betta breed in stock, which are dyed in the national colours of Thailand!

According to Wikipedia, the current flag of Thailand, a tricolour with five stripes, was introduced in 1917 by King Rama VI. The middle stripe is twice as wide as the outer stripes. Red stands for the nation, white for the religion and blue for the monarchy.

Thailand is the original home of the Betta breed. So it is only right that the first “National Betta” shows the Thai colours, don’t you think?

For our customers: the animals have code 390613 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens „Emerald Candy“

9. November 2018

This is the latest Betta creation from Southeast Asian breeders. A multicoloured short fin, where matte scales and emerald green shining body and fin parts contrast wonderfully with each other.

For the first time we have received a hand-picked selection of this new breed from Betta splendens „Emerald Candy“.

For our customers: the fish have code 390077 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text % photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Black Knight Pla Kat

28. September 2018

Black knights – that’s what Thai breeders call this beautiful, short-finned fighting fish, which we can offer at the moment. The animals are colored so intensively black that you can’t see any detail on normal exposed photos, they just look like a black surface. But if you overexpose strongly, you can see that the black color is actually a deep, dark brown that swallows practically all light.

For our customers: the fish have code 390081 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Brochis splendens and B. cf. splendens CW 35

20. November 2017

Currently is a top season for large, breathtaking Green Cats, Brochis splendens. We have two varieties in stock which are collected in areas that have roughly 1.200 km distance from each other. The one comes from Peru and represents the „typical“ B. splendens. The species has been described scientifically from the Rio Tocantins in Brazil; the species B. coeruleus, which is considered currently as a synonym of B. splendens, originates from a tributary of the Rio Ambyiacu in Peru.

The other variety originates from the Mato Crosso in Brazil. It has been given the additional code CW 35 by cory enthusiasts. This CW 35 differs from the regular B. splendens in coloration. The fins of CW 35 are bright orange (colorless in typical B. splendens), and the belly has also a bright orange colour in CW 35 (in typical B. splendens the belly is whitish). The head pattern is also different. Many specmens of CW 35 have fine spots on the head, which are lacking in typical B. splendens.

Both are splendid fish and belong to the largest species of cory cats: they become around 8 cm long.

For our customers: CW 35 from Brazil has Code 212506, the Peruvian B. splendens 212505 on our stocklsit. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens Wild

6. October 2017

The wild forms of the Betta splendens-group are very difficult to determinate, even for specialists and in some cases a safe determination will fail at all. Currently these species are placed in the group: Betta imbellis, B. mahachaiensis, B. siamorientalis, B. smaragdina, B. splendens, and B. stiktos. Inside this group one can differentiate two subgroups, namely the Betta smaragdina-subgroup, containing B. mahachaiensis, B. smaragdina, and B. stiktos, and the Betta splendens-subgroup that contains the remaining species.

The only way to distinguish the species of the Betta splendens-subgroup is via the coloration of the head of males in aggressive mood. In Betta imbellis a blue stripe appears at the edge of the operculum, another blue stripe appears in front of it behind the eye. In Betta splendens and B. siamorientalis the whole head becomes dark or black and at the egde of the operceulum a red or yellowish stripe appears.  All other details in coloration and morphometrics overlap broadly in the three species and are hardly useful for determination purposes. However, DNA analyses support strongly the existence of the three species.

We recently obtained wild specimens of Betta splendens from Thailand. The animals were collected near Kanchanaburi. They are beautiful fish with lot of temper and a lot of red coloration. Please don´t be fooled by the lancet shape of the photographed male. This is an individual thing and may appear in old males of all species. All other males in our shipment have „normal“, round caudal fins.

For our customers: the fish have code 390013 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Another new sport of fighting fish: Fancy Dragon Pla Kat

9. June 2017

Fighting fish are absolutely popular currently. The splendid colours, the easy breeding, the interesting behaviour and the unproblematic keeping are the reasons. Against other fish than conspecifics Betta splendens are usually completely peaceful; the only general exception are fancy guppys, as these are often erronously taken for male fighting fish and attacked.

Until now the development of a long dorsal fin (this is a mutation) was bound to another mutation, the splittail. In splittails the tail fin is parted in two. So far splittails are bred only on veiltail varieties. It is necessary to know that the gene for „veiltail“ is dominant against the shorttail gene. So the breeder has to have a great deal of knowledge of genetics to breed shorttailed splittails. Shorttailed fish are generally named as pla kat. The Fancy Dragon Pla Kat that appeared now for the first time in the market has the long dorsal fin of the splittail, but a different shape of the caudal fin. The latter is rather a halfmoon, most probably because splittails are not very popular in central Europe. However, there are folds in the caudal fin, maybe a heritage of the splittail ancestor.

Each individual fish of the Fancy Dragon Pla Kat looks different. But in respect of the instinctive fighting behaviour they are typical fighting fish. The fight starts with a sinking of the bottom of the mouth and spreading of the gills and opercula; after that the fish start lateral displaying with maximum spread fins. The ventral fins are used like flags in that state of the fight. Only after a good while the fish start to a fight to damage the competitor. This begins with „empty“ bites against the fins. At that stage of the fight we separate the photomodels to avoid any hurts. If we would not do so the fish would start to bite in the fins (the Thai idiom pla kat means „biting fish“) which can look really destoyed after some time. However, the fight usually does not lead to the death of one of the competitors and the fins regenerate completely. Nevertheless it cannot be recommended to keep more than one male per tank.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens – real fighter Pla Kat Luk Maw

5. May 2017

It is a well known fact that the Betta splendens kept in the aquarium hobby as ornamental fish do not represent the species as it appears in the wild, but a domesticated fish. Initially this sport has been bred for combats, similar like sports of cocks and dogs. Only in the 1920ies, when supplying ornamental fish for the aquarium hobby became more and more an important economic factor for people in Southeast Asia, breeders started to select veiltailed sports and aberrant colour varieties. These fish are useless for combats.

The tradition of fish fights is still alive in many parts of Asia. Due to the high sums of money people bet here – and which lead to the ruin of many bet-junkies – these combats are under legal control, but in many areas they are also cultural property under special protection.

Here in central Europe is no interest in watching animals fighting and to bet on the winner, we are focussed on the empathy with the animal we keep. Nevertheless it is very interesting for a real enthusiast to get the possibility for studying these real fighters among the Bettas. These fish are called Pla Kat Luk Maw in Thai, which means about „biting fish of the earthen pot“. „Earthen pot“ refers to the traditional pottery vessels used for breeding the fish. One of the most astonishing facts is that almost any red is missing in the coloration of the fish. Even the skin of the gill-membranes, which are spread when the fish is in aggressive mood, are pitchblack, as the whole fish appears in highest excitation. Pla Kat Luk Maw are usually bred in blue, but sometimes also turquoise animals appear.

For our customers: the fish have code 391019 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in limited numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer