Plakat Betta: A Look Into The Betta’s Other Fighter Sibling

Last Updated: October 15, 2023 by Flora Gibbins

Plakat Bettas are beautiful freshwater fish of Asian origin. These betta splendens have short fins with notable rays on the dorsal and tail fins designed to fight. The fighting is the main reason behind their breeding, so their color is not considered necessary.

Now…

If you just got your betta fish or are had yours for some time, you need to know which water animals your betta can live within their tank. If you make the mistake of outing tank mates that can coexist can result in the death of your pet.

What Is a Plakat Betta?

Plakat betta fish is a version of the famous Betta fish. They are a betta splendens family, which is a mixture of the wild ones and those that do not exist in nature. These fish have a less dramatic tail and have a robust build with a closer appearance to their wild counterparts.

Native to the Mekon basin of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, the plakat betta is high in demand for most fish lovers.

They are referred to as the Siamese fighting fish since the males are quite aggressive. Other common names doe these tropical fish include Halfmoon plakat betta, Thai bettas, shortfin betta, and the plakat morh.

The plakat fish lives in slow-moving water such as flood plains, rice paddies, ditches, and marshes; when it is dry, the fish lives in puddles.

They have gills and a labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen air when they are in oxygen-depleted water. Plakat bettas are impressive jumpers and can jump from one puddle to another to find mates and avoid other male plakat bettas.

Wild plakat bettas grow to an average of 2.8 inches, but aquarium species can have long flowing fins with brilliant colors – they exhibit bright colors when provoked. The beautiful finnage and bright colors you see in the aquarium species result from selective breeding.

While placing them in your tank, you can put a female plakat betta and a male together, contrary to popular belief. But you need to avoid keeping more than one male together.

Can Plakat Betta Live with Shrimp?

Fortunately, yes. Your plakat betta fish can live with shrimp peacefully in the same tank. However, it is essential to remember that their co-existence solely depends on the temperament of your betta fish since they are pretty aggressive.

Shrimps make great plakat betta tank mates, but you have to ensure that the tank has the right living conditions for both the shrimps and the plakat bettas.

What Type of Environment Does Plakat Betta Exist In?

You can try to replicate plakat betta’s natural habitat to keep the fish healthy and keep them alive. Here are the different conditions to maintain:

Tank Conditions

While preparing your tank, you can start by covering the bottom of the aquarium with the fine-grained substrate at the bottom of the aquarium. They add live plants that extend upwards.

You also need to add floating plants to provide the plakat betta with a bubble nest. You can also add bright decorations to make your tank more attractive to the fish.

You should have caves in the tank where the plakat betta fish can hide away when they feel threatened or stressed.

It is essential to always keep the water at a temperature of 75°F-80°F and pH of 6.0 to 8.0, and hardness of 5-35gGH. You also need to create slow-moving water by minimizing the power of the filter outlet since that is the type of water movements plakat betta fish are used to.

The Size of the Aquarium

A single plakat betta fish needs a minimum tank size of a 10-gallon aquarium, and it will therefore require a large tank if you want to have a community for it. The fish need to have their own space as part of the community.

One Plakat Betta Per Tank

Plakat bettas are bred for fighting and you should only keep one plakat betta per tank. If one approaches the other fish’s territory, they will fight till one of them is dead.

Plakat Betta Tank Mates

Designing a tank for the plakat betta should always be on top of your list. These types of fish are very aggressive, making it difficult to live well with other water animals.

Be keen not to add any species that might make the siamese fighting fish aggressive, like boisterous fish, fin-nippers, and other territorial fish.

They, however, coexist well with small shoaling species such as tetras, danios, and white cloud mountain minnows.

The Diet

Feed your Plakat betta a varied diet to ensure the supply of all nutrients.

They feed on small fish and insect larvae since they are carnivorous fish in their natural habitat. So you can try and mimic the same type of food for them.

You can also provide them with dried foods but note that they are less nutritious, and it is vital to supplement them.

The Care They Need

Taking care of the fish is very simple if you have plakat betta tank mates who will not cause plakat betta aggression. When you maintain a safe and healthy environment for them, it should be hard to encounter any problems.

Always make sure that the algae levels are kept low and change the water in the tank every week. Use a water test kit to check algae levels are as low as required. The test will also show if other water parameters are at the preferred levels.

Infections are rare in an aquarium, but they are not uncommon for hardy fish. So make sure that their environment is always clean to reduce the chances of disease.

Fish diseases can show up in the form of white spots on the fish surface and are associated with itch. It can also be in the form of fish degradation, associated with fin rot. You can get medication for these conditions at the pet store.

You will also need to treat the aquarium completely to eliminate the pathogens causing infection to your plakat bettas.

What Type of Environment Do Shrimp Exist In?

Shrimps are both fresh water and saltwater lovers. They can be big and tiny while some can coexist fine with plakat betta while others can be mean to other tank mates.

Here are the conditions that shrimp require in an aquarium:

Water Quality

Since most shrimp species live in either freshwater or saltwater, some will require brackish water while others will want to live in freshwater.

You will need to research the species of shrimp you are getting to know what type of water to have in your aquarium.

Cover

Shrimps love the cover, especially when they are young. They flee from any threat from large aquarium inhabitants. You can have aquarium moss and plants to give perfect cover. The shrimp will hide in the foliage and the dense mats of moss.

Tank Size

Every shrimp species varies in size, hence differing from the tank size you need. The number of shrimps also plays a massive part in the size and amount of water required.

Make sure that you research the species and tank size required before preparing one.

Tank Mates

If a shrimp can fit in a fish’s mouth, the fish will probably eat it, which is why the cover is essential. Your shrimp can also be hostile to other inhabitants of the tanks depending on the shrimp species.

This brings us to the question; Which shrimp species can live with plakat betta fish types?

Which Species Can Live with Plakat Betta Fish?

Here are the three species that coexist best with plakat fish. You can choose from the three based on your preference.

Ghost Shrimp

The ghost shrimps grow up to almost one and a half inches, so they will not be too tiny to fit in a plakat betta’s mouth.

They grow in the same quality of water as the plakat betta. They both require a pH level of 7 to 8, and both need temperatures of between 72 to 82 °F.

Ghost shrimps often keep to themselves in an aquarium, so you can be guaranteed they will not provoke the plakat betta hence reducing their chances of getting attacked.

When putting ghost shrimps and plakat bettas together, you must remember that they breed quickly. So when your aquarium is at total capacity, you must reconsider your choices. However, the plakat bettas will most likely eat the ghost shrimp babies.

Shrimps can quickly get lonely; adding them in pairs will improve water quality and more pregnancies.

You can have about 20 shrimps with one plakat betta in a tank.

Will the Plakat Betta Eat Ghost Shrimp?

Since ghost shrimps are bigger, the plakat betta will not eat the shrimp. But if the fish does not have proper nutrition. The only way to know is by placing the shrimp in the tank and if your plakat betta will eat it.

Cherry Shrimp

Cherry shrimps are smaller than ghost shrimps and hence riskier since the plakat betta can eat them. The female cherry shrimp grows up to one inch while the male is smaller.

Therefore, it is better to add the females since the males might be eaten.

Cherry shrimps need water temperature between 57 to 84 °F and water pH level between 6.5 and 8. Both of which fall under the same conditions as plakat fish.

Your tank needs to have the natural condition as much as possible, meaning you must have a lot of plants in your tank.

Cherry shrimps usually feed on algae, but you can still feed them meat, but their food should be mostly vegetation.

Will A Plakat Betta Eat Cherry Shrimps?

Plakat betta fish are bigger than the cherry shrimps, so they will eat them. Additionally, the cherry shrimps are brightly colored, making them an easy target.

You can prevent this by buying the biggest shrimps and avoiding purchasing the males since they are smaller and will be eaten.

Amano Shrimp

Amano shrimps are freshwater shrimps and are great tanks that make for a plakat fish. They are the biggest species on this list.

Amano shrimps and plakat bettas require the same temperature conditions of 70 and 80 °F and pH between 6 and 7.

If you decide to have Amano shrimps, make sure there are many plants in your tank since they are shed once a month, making them vulnerable to attack. Having plants create hiding places which can reduce stress greatly

They also live longer when compared with other species. Amano shrimps can live for at least 2 to 3 years, while most of the other shrimp species survive for only a year.

With the Amanos, you do not need to keep restocking your tank.

Amanos can get very aggressive when feeding. They might not attack the plakat betta, but they can create a pecking order, which means that the big shrimps will attack others to get the food first, which negatively affects the plakat betta.

Amano shrimps feed on algae but should also be fed on sinking pallets and meats to keep them happy.

Since these shrimps are pretty big, you should avoid having them in a small tank, so make sure that your tank is at least the 10-gallon tank.

Will Plakat Betta Eat Amano Shrimps?

No. since they are pretty big, the chances of being eaten by the fish are very slim. You need not worry about your plakat betta feeding of Amano shrimps.

Fun Fact: To better assess whether these three species could live harmoniously with Plakat Betta is to place them side-by-side in individualized fish tanks. You could try a Betta Fish Tank Divider for this purpose!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are plakat bettas more aggressive than other bettas?

Yes.

Plakat bettas were initially bred to fight, and the trait remains prevalent in the fish today. They are more aggressive than the long-fined blends.

What differentiates plakat bettas from other bettas?

Plakat bettas have a stocky body with short fins, while others have long and flowing fins. Modern plakat bettas are bred to exhibit bright, varied colors, including metallic and marbles.

Wrapping Up

Plakat bettas are beautiful finned fish that are pretty aggressive. They can only coexist which shrimps that are bigger than them. So if the shrimp is smaller than the plakat betta, it will be eaten. Choose species of shrimps that require similar environmental conditions to remain healthy while in the tank.

You can put more than one plakat in a tank, but you can never have two males in the same tank. They will probably fight and leave one dead. Plakat bettas are beautiful and easy to care for, making them an excellent choice for an aquarist.