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Encyclopedia / Gouramis & Bettas / Javan mouthbrooding betta
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Variations

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Javan mouthbrooding betta

Betta picta · Spotted betta, Java betta, Betta picta, Javan betta

Calm and peaceful; males may spar but rarely injure.

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5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
22–27 °CTemperature ✓
6–7.5pH ✓
54 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Javan mouthbrooding betta only grows to 5 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Javan mouthbrooding betta is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Javan mouthbrooding betta only grows to 5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

370 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 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Calm and peaceful; males may spar but rarely injure. Good for a quiet planted tank.

Food

Frozen and live foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature males have a broader head and are more colourful than females, with more iridescent scales on the head, body and unpaired fins; the dark fin margins are most pronounced in males.

Health

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

Breeding

Mouthbrooder · Moderate

Paternal mouthbrooder. After the spawning embrace the female passes the eggs to the male, who broods them for 9-12 days and then releases free-swimming fry that take microworm and Artemia nauplii at once. Adults usually leave the fry alone.

Pairing

Keep a small group; males and females pair naturally.

Setup

40 L planted tank with caves and floating plants, soft neutral water.

What starts it

Live foods and clean water.

Eggs

Egg count not given by sources; the male holds the eggs for 9-12 days.

Raising the fry

Release large fry which take baby brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Strong flow
  • Overcrowding
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionJava & Sumatra, Indonesia
HabitatShallow streams and rice-field channels
Native rangeAbout 600 km across
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The story of the javan mouthbrooding betta

A small paternal mouthbrooding betta known only from Java, where it lives in quiet margins and still pools of clear hill streams and has also been found in roadside ditches and water tanks.

French zoologist Achille Valenciennes described this betta in 1846. It is a hardy, small mouthbrooder, sometimes called the spotted or painted betta.

First described by Achille Valenciennes in 1846. Named for 'Picta' means painted.

  • Males brood the eggs in their mouths.
  • It is one of the earliest-described bettas.
  • It stays small, around 5 cm long.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources