# Sticky  Wild betta profile:Sp.Mahachai



## majerah1

Thought I would do another profile on wild betta species.

I introduce you to:

Betta mahachai
Common name:Green Betta

Complex:
Splendens

Location:
Betta Sp mahachai can be found in one place in the wild,Mahachai,which is a half hour from Bangkok.

Status:
It has not been listed with the IUCN,however,it is in critical danger of becoming extinct.

Appearance:
Betta Sp.mahachai,is a slender "dolphin like"fish.they have a very strong caudal,and when mature,the caudal takes on a spade shape.The dorsal fin will have stripes,which can be found only on a mahachai.No other fish of this complex with have such stripes.
The color is a greenish blue.They have a striking iridescence about them.Females of course are less colorful,but I have found in perfect setups,they will be almost as dark as the males.








Two males facing off.







The lighter colored fish is a female,the other two are males.

Housing.
Mahachais are very similiar to domestic bettas in the sense of housing.They enjoy temps to be in the mid 80's.They come from brackish areas so a little salt in the water will do them some good,though not always necessary.Mine are kept in full fresh and breed in it just fine.

They would appreciate a well planted tank,and are exceptional jumpers,so a tight fitting lid is a must.They are bubblenesters,so try to avoid a strong current.They water must be filtered and kept clean.Use a baffle for the flow,if necessary.A pair should be housed in ten gallons and groups in 29 or larger.As with any fish,the larger tank,the better.The can be housed in pairs or even groups,but they will fight,so take caution when housing several males.Be sure to have territories for every male in the tank.

Feeding:
Mahachai is not a picky fish and will readily accept pellet,frozen and live foods.Be sure to feed them a meaty diet as they are insectivores.A high quality pellet is suggested as the staple diet.

Breeding:
Mahachai breed the same way as splendens.The male will blow a bubblenest,and entice the female to the nest.They will then wrap around each other in the typical betta embrace.The female will be stunned and the male will gather the eggs off the ground,and place them in the bubbles.The female will help when she comes to.The male is not as violent to the females,as domestic splendens are.Instead,the male actually lets the female hang by the nest and care for the eggs.








The pair hanging out in a breeder trap.This will keep the eggs safe from other fish.








Closeup of the eggs in the nest.
Mahachais are known to build two nests.One for spawning,and then a second or even third to move them to after the spawning.
Raising the fry is very much like splendens.Some will let the father raise the fry and others will raise them without the male.I have yet to raise any myself so I cant advise on this.but I do know they grow slower than the pet store bettas.

Given the Mahachais are found in one area it is very important to conserve this species.The brackish swamp in which they come from,is the only place these fish are found,and its undergoing construction to build up the economy.As a result,the species will most likely suffer,with the chance of their waterway being remove permanently.

This in turn means there is a very good chance this fish will only be found in aquariums,and never again roaming free in its natural habitat.I encourage anyone who wants to try a wild betta,to give these wonderful fish a chance,and help preserve them in the long run.


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## Kehy

Wow, those look great, wish I could try a pair!


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## majerah1

Well,as you can see,I have eggs in the nest.If the father does good I should have some in about two months.

And thanks!They are a fun alternative to the long flowey finned fishes.


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## Ajax

Glad to see you're keeping up on these maj!

Be sure to save me a few mahas, you promised I could buy some off of you whenever they decide to spawn!


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## Rob72

i want one so bad, they are so cool


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## RobertTheFish

Thanks so much for the write up!


I have wanted a pair for quite a while now. You care for those fry, and I'll work on setting up housing for a pair, and maybe we can work something out.


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## majerah1

Thanks!Will do!Daddy is standing under the nest resting.Seems to be a good bit,though not in the 100s.


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## Pigeonfish

Probably a stupid question, can you keep tank mates with wild bettas?


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## majerah1

Actually its not a stupid question.Yes you can.Many of the wild bettas get along just fine with other fish.Mahachais are the same complex as the pet store finds,but are a little less aggressive to each other and other fish.


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## RobertTheFish

Hmmm...bettas in a community.

Now that's a world I hadn't pondered.

I'll have to try that.


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## Pigeonfish

Hey, Bev will you be doing a thread on the Emerald Betta? You got me really interested in wild bettas. :3


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## majerah1

Yes I sure will!The next profile however is the Betta Albimarginata.


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## Rob72

hey Bev, just let me konw when they are ready, got the tank almost ready for them, they will go in the 27 gallon cube


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## Oliver Wilmore

Looking forward to your next profile Bev! These are really interesting and informative!


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## Mahavara

It's meeeee!!!!! The person who bought your mahas. Yeah thats me 

How are things. I like it here so far! My maha fry are sooo cute! 2 days old!


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## majerah1

Hey,good to see ya here.


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## Darth

I am looking for a pair of these, I am going to breed them back into splendens and try to straighten out a few issues, I have a degree in genetics and i am sure this will be a very long endever, also are you aware of their preferance to brackish water?
Alot of folks do not do well with these because they forget these aren't totally a sweet water fish!
Please let me know about available fry..I alsi think, and this is just a hunch, that the original melanos had a flawed gene havinf to do with the melanophores and since i have never heard of anyone doing a mass spawning of these, say 50 pairs how woud we ever know for sure?
I think the original genes and chromosones for this type was actually damaged and a mutation occured causeing sterility in the females because of melanaphores building up
and causing another change to the embryos..In order to really know if i am right i will have to track down info on WHO bred the very first melanos any insight would be helpful anyway I did not mean to hijack this thread, i just think that all the wilds are the key to better genes, and since this is a wild..I am truly interested in them!


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## majerah1

Agreed, they have more pure genes so would help the ones we have domesticated and bred so very much. I sadly do not have anymore, I sold them to make room for more mouthbrooders. They did do much better with a bit of salinity in their water though. You can look up on aquabid for a breeder to see if you can get a hold of a few of them. Would be worth it to try it out anyhow! Let me know if you find some and how far you get on the project with the melanos and such.


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