1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful and shy; keep a pair in a quiet planted tank with tiny, calm fish at most.
204 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful and shy; keep a pair in a quiet planted tank with tiny, calm fish at most.
Live and frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworm and brine shrimp.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Adult males are more colourful and have a broader head than females.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Mouthbrooder · Hard
Mouthbrooder: the male holds the eggs in his mouth. After the spawning embrace the female picks the eggs off the male’s anal fin and spits them to him.
Keep a small group and let a pair form.
60 L dim, soft, acidic planted tank with caves and leaf litter.
Soft acidic water and live foods.
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.
Fully formed fry released; feed baby brine shrimp and microworms.
A small mouthbrooding betta (about 3 cm SL) known only from the Sebuku basin in East Kalimantan, Borneo. Named for its white fin margins; displaying males are brick-red with a broad white edge and a dark band on the fins. It lives in very shallow forest streams with moderate flow.
Maurice Kottelat and Peter Ng described this small betta in 1994. Its orange-red body and white-edged fins quickly made it a favourite of betta enthusiasts.
First described by Maurice Kottelat & Peter K. L. Ng in 1994. Named for 'Albimarginata' means white-edged, after its fin margins.
14 facts checked with sources
Valid. IUCN: Endangered (FishBase: EN B2ab(v), assessed 05 Dec 2018). Easily confused with B. channoides; the two form the B. albimarginata group (Seriously Fish) and are often mislabelled in the trade.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Betta albimarginata (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Betta albimarginata summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Betta albimarginata summarySeriously Fish 3.0 cm SL, FishBase 2.8 cm SL (standard length). Legacy 9 cm is three times too large.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginata · FishBase: Betta albimarginata summaryLegacy lies inside Seriously Fish 23-28.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy lies inside Seriously Fish 4.0-6.5.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish value recorded.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginata45 x 30 x 30 cm = 40.5 L, rounded to 40. Legacy 60 L is more generous than the sourced minimum.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataPair or group; legacy 1.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy care 2 = moderate.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy has no range field. Seriously Fish photo captions also mention fish from Malinau, Kalimantan Timur.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginata · FishBase: Betta albimarginata summaryLegacy 'slimmer male with long white-edged fins' not supported; the source names a broader head in males. Both sexes have white fin edges (species diagnosis).
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataMouthbrooder (paternal), not bubble-nester.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy 20-60 eggs is too high; legacy 2-3 weeks fits 10-21 days.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginataLegacy 'blue-red body' not supported (brick-red); legacy 'slow streams' conflicts with 'moderate current'. IUCN Endangered.
Seriously Fish: Betta albimarginata · FishBase: Betta albimarginata summary