Betta HMPK Cuper

Copper-plated halfmoon plakat flares a perfect, silent semicircle.

The Betta HMPK Copper is a short-finned halfmoon plakat with shimmering metallic copper tones — hardy, colourful, and ideal for beginner aquarists.

• About the Betta HMPK Copper: HMPK stands for Halfmoon Plakat — the short-finned "fighter" form of the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. The Copper morph is prized for its iridescent metallic sheen, which shifts between bronze, rose gold and steel-blue depending on the angle of light. Because the plakat tail is short, these fish swim faster, turn tighter and are far less prone to fin damage and fin-biting than long-finned halfmoons, making them one of the best bettas for a planted community tank. Males reach roughly 5–6 cm, females slightly smaller. With proper care they live 3–5 years.
• Water conditions: Keep your betta in stable, clean, soft-to-moderately-hard water. Ideal parameters are temperature 24–28 °C (75–82 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 (they will tolerate 6.0–8.0 if the value is steady), general hardness 3–12 dGH and carbonate hardness 2–8 dKH. Ammonia and nitrite must read zero, and nitrate should stay below 20 ppm. These fish are labyrinth breathers, meaning they can gulp air at the surface, but that is not a substitute for filtration — a cycled, gently filtered tank is essential. Avoid sudden swings in temperature or pH, which are the number one cause of stress, clamped fins and disease. A small heater with a guard and a reliable thermometer are non-negotiable.
• Tank setup: A single betta needs a minimum of 20 litres, though 30–40 litres is far easier to keep stable and gives you room for tank mates. Always fit a tight lid — bettas are excellent jumpers. Use a low-flow filter (sponge filter or an adjustable internal filter with the flow turned down) because these fish come from slow-moving rice paddies and canals and tire quickly in strong current. Provide plenty of cover: live or silk plants, floating plants such as salvinia or frogbit for shade, driftwood, caves and a scattering of Indian almond or catappa leaves. The tannins released by the leaves soften the water, lower pH slightly and have mild antibacterial properties that suit bettas perfectly. Dark substrate and good lighting bring out the copper metallic colouring at its best.
• Suitable tank mates: The plakat's short fins make it a realistic community fish in a well-planted tank of 40 litres or more. Good choices include small, peaceful schooling fish such as harlequin, chili and kubotai rasboras, ember tetras, and small corydoras like pygmy or habrosus. Kuhli loaches, otocinclus, nerite and rabbit snails are also excellent. Avoid anything that nips fins or is aggressive: tiger and serpae barbs, most mollies, larger gouramis, angelfish, cichlids, goldfish and, of course, other male bettas. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf shrimp are usually eaten, so treat them as a snack rather than tank mates. Females can sometimes be kept in a sorority, but this requires experience, a large heavily planted tank and a group of five or more to spread aggression.
• Feeding habits: Bettas are carnivorous insectivores with a small stomach roughly the size of their eye. Feed a high-protein staple of 1–3 mm betta pellets — two to four pellets, twice a day — and supplement with frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, daphnia, brine shrimp, mysis and blackworm two or three times a week. Frozen and live foods keep the fish in prime condition and encourage the intense copper colouring to hold. Pre-soak pellets in tank water for a few minutes to reduce the risk of bloating. Feed only what is eaten within a couple of minutes, remove uneaten food, and fast your betta one day a week. If the abdomen looks swollen, feed a small piece of blanched, shelled pea or a meal of daphnia to clear the gut.
• Care and maintenance: Carry out a 20–30 % water change every week with temperature-matched, dechlorinated water, vacuuming the substrate as you go. Rinse filter media in old tank water only — never under the tap — to protect your beneficial bacteria. Keep the temperature steady and avoid draughts, which can chill a tank overnight. Perform a drip acclimation of 30–45 minutes when the fish arrives, then leave the lights off for the first day and offer no food until the following morning. Bettas are intelligent and quickly learn to recognise their keeper; a mirror flash for one or two minutes a day encourages healthy flaring exercise in males without causing stress.
• Health watch: Watch for clamped fins, loss of colour, lethargy, white spots (ich), velvet, fin rot or white cottony patches (columnaris). Most problems in bettas trace back to cold water, poor water quality or overfeeding. Quarantine any new tank mates for two weeks before adding them, and never mix medications without checking they are safe for labyrinth fish. Copper bettas can look dull when stressed or under poor lighting — a healthy fish should flash metallic bronze and rose along the flanks.
• What to expect on arrival: Your Betta HMPK Copper is supplied as a young, healthy specimen ready to grow out and colour up further in your aquarium. Colours deepen with age, good food and stable water. Please photograph the bag before opening if there is any issue on arrival, and follow our livestock guarantee terms. Shipped in insulated, oxygen-filled bags with heat or cool packs as the season requires.