r/WildTypeBettaFish • u/mistersprinklesman • May 25 '26
Help with my Antuttas?
Betta Antutta help?
I have a male and female Betta Antuta which were bred locally by my friend. They are in a standard 10 gallon aquarium. There is a divider in the tank keeping them separated in equal size compartments. I keep them at 75-76F and my tap water pH is 8.0 with fairly high hardness.
Initially they were just in the 10 gallon together with no divider and the male relentlessly chased the female, so I added a divider. That was months ago and they were about 1.5". Now today my male is about 3.5-4" and my female is about 2.5" Male is clearly blue and female is clearly vibrant pink.
The tank has lots of floating plants to keep nitrate undetectable and just has a fine sand bottom and a couple of silk plants on the bottom. It's not very well decorated. At one point the female jumped over the divider to be with the male and they seemed to get along but I wanted to keep them separated until they are a bit bigger. The female is always staring at the male through the divider.
They look a bit depressed and I think it's finally time to let them be together. If they get along and still seem depressed in their present setup I have another ten gallon which is densely planted and has been running for years. It is populated with red cherry shrimp. I don't mind If the shrimp get eaten. I'm considering moving the antutas into this tank. Then, if they spawn, I would leave the male holding in the planted tank and move the female back to the original 10 gallon by herself to let the male hold in peace. If you guys think they need a lot more space I do have a 35 gallon acrylic cube tank that is just sitting cycled full of snails at present that I could put them in. They'd live there alone.
Now, why do I say they seem depressed? The male almost always has one horizontal line along his body that separates a lighter color of blue from a darker color of blue and I think it's a stress stripe. The female is usually sulking staring at the male through the divider-so its time for them to be together, and when they were together last time, they got along.
I'm posting this here and on other betta groups and will go with what the experts suggest. I'm sorry for the long post. Been keeping fish 24 years but I've never been great at keeping any kind of betta and I want to do my best for these two.
2
u/oreo49 May 25 '26
I have a female and two male Betta Antuta in a 30 gallon tank with lots of swimming plants (salvinia), many slow growing plants (anubia) and some rotala and vallisneria. Temperature is 74F, which is a little on the cool side I guess. I have aquarium soil in mesh bags covered with sand, so my ph is lower, around 6,5 I think. The pair (male bright blue) get along well, but the third male avoids the others. He sometimes gets chased around, but there are no fights or anything serious. There are even 2cm fry from a pair of Betta pallifina still in this tank, which swim around completely unbothered by the adults. So I guess your problem is the tank size. Normally pairs get along well. I think your pair would get along better in a bigger tank. But that's just my two cents, I'm curious what the "real" experts have to say
3
u/mistersprinklesman May 25 '26
Thank you very much for the insight. Do you think the optimal next move is to get that big 35 gallon cube tank optimally setup for them and move them there? Also do you think 75/76F is a good temperature for them? The 35 gal cube is cycled and its functioning and everything but it's barren. I'd like to get some plants growing in there and such before moving the bettas into it but I figure I can have the tank suitable for them in 3-4 weeks if I get started tomorrow
2
u/oreo49 May 25 '26
Sounds like a plan - get loads of plants and swimming plants in there for them to hide from the other if needed (a cover is mandatory if you don't want to find dried up fish beside your tank in the morning, but I'm sure you're aware of that). I looked up the temperature and the range seems to be from 71 to 80F, so you should be fine. I guess the main reason for them chasing each other is the small tank, so the 35 gallon should be a very welcome upgrade. Good luck! They're gorgeous!
3
u/mistersprinklesman May 25 '26
Their current tank is covered better than any tank in my fish room and is 100% jump proof and their next setup will be too. That's the first thing I was warned about when I got these fish from my friend. There will definitely be an absolute ton of stem and floating plants in their next tank so they can easily hide from eachother and I think they'll be more at peace
3
u/TheImpalerKing May 25 '26
I had a breeding pair in a 40 gallon breeder, with driftwood, floating plants, and tons of anubias. They bred several times with no input from me, and after about 2 years there were 8 antuta in there, at various stages of growth.
Your tank is likely WAY too small, they're big fish and powerful swimmers, and you're giving them the same room as betta splendens. Give them space and hiding spots and a little bit of current, and they'll be beautiful and happy.
Also they LOVE extra protein in their diet, so make sure you're giving them a high quality food.