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Encyclopedia / Gouramis & Bettas / Channoides betta
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Variations

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Channoides betta

Betta channoides · Channoides, Betta channoides, Orange betta

Peaceful toward other species but males may spar.

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4 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
5–6.5pH ✓
40 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Channoides betta only grows to 4 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Channoides betta is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Channoides betta only grows to 4 cm.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

228 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–5 dGH
Group size ✓2 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Top
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–7 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful toward other species but males may spar. Needs a quiet, shaded tank.

Food

Frozen and live foods such as bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Adult males are more colourful (scarlet when displaying) and have a broader head than females.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Mouthbrooder · Hard

Mouthbrooder: the male holds the eggs in his mouth. After the spawning embrace the female collects the eggs from the male’s anal fin and passes them to him.

Pairing

Keep a group and let pairs form.

Setup

60 L soft acidic tank with leaf-litter and cover.

What starts it

Soft acidic water and live foods.

Eggs

Small broods: about 10 eggs is considered a good number. The male broods them for 10-21 days, then releases fully formed, free-swimming fry.

Raising the fry

The male releases well-developed fry; feed baby brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Hard water
  • Rough tankmates
  • Disturbing the male
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionEast Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia
Rivers and lakesMahakam basin
HabitatSmall forest streams
Native rangeAbout 200 km across
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The story of the channoides betta

A small mouthbrooding betta from the Mahakam basin in East Kalimantan, Borneo. Its name comes from the snakeheads (Channa), which have a similar head shape; displaying males are scarlet. It lives in shallow forest streams with brown, acidic water.

Kottelat and Ng described this betta in 1994, naming it for its resemblance to a snakehead. Its red colour and bold shape made it a popular wild betta.

First described by Maurice Kottelat & Peter K. L. Ng in 1994. Named for 'Channoides' means snakehead-like.

  • Males brood eggs in their mouths.
  • Its body shape resembles a small snakehead.
  • It is closely related to Betta albimarginata.

Sources

14 facts checked with sources