Which wild betta species would be easiest?

[Aquarium guy person]

Hey all, I wanna get a wild betta but I’ve never gotten one before. I’ve been close bet never close enough, well I finally have my tank and it’s ready for a betta but I don’t know which betta species would be easiest in there. It’s a 5 gallon bowfront tank. With black substrate and a good filter although I’m thinking it needs a little flow diverter and a little sponge on the intake tube. The gravel is black but very smooth so it wouldn’t hurt a betta (I don’t think). But anyways I want a betta channoides but idk if maybe an alien betta, Imbellis, or mahachai betta would be easier as I’m completely new to wild types. I tested my water and it’s got 7.0 PH. Thanks for any help

 

[Colin_T]

Betta imbellis is the smallest and most suited to that tank size. However, they don't normally take a lot of dry food so you will need to invest in frozen and live foods for them to eat. You can offer dry foods too but they might refuse it.

 

[Aquarium guy person]

So is that a no for the channoides? Imbellis was my last choice out the 4. I just don’t like how their tails look, I’m fine with frozen but are you sure I can’t do channoides? Are they finicky or just not suited to aquarium life?

 

[Colin_T]

No idea about Betta channoides, never kept them

 

[Crispii]

Betta channoides would be fine in a 5 gallon. I kept a pair of them in a 5 gallon tank and they have spawned for me. In terms of keeping wilds, they're one of the easiest wild Bettas to keep and breed. They can tolerate a wide range of pH, but it's best to keep it acidic. Since your pH is right around 7, you can add leaves and other botanicals to help lower it.

 

[Aquarium guy person]

What kind of botanicals would you recommend? I have cattappa leaves if needed (sorry for spelling) I could also change the substrate if needed as this is just gravel and probably not suited to plants or lowering ph. But if I change it I’d prefer for it to be a darker substrate, thank you

 

[Crispii]

Any botanicals would work. I only have Indian almond leaves along with some PVC pipes. If you're going to add different botanicals besides the leaves, I recommend Sterculia pods as they will give the fish some refuge.

 

[Aquarium guy person]

Are there any on amazon that you would trust? Also how do you get them ready for the tank? They won’t harm the fish will they?

 

[Crispii]

I got my botanicals from Tannin Aquatics. You can either boil your botanicals or let them naturally sink on their own. Either way, there's no harm in doing either or.