Startail

Tankmates: Not a general community fish, but one male can share a calm, well-planted tank with peaceful, non-nipping, non-long-finned species (e.g. small rasboras, Corydoras, otocinclus) and snails. Avoid other labyrinth fish, fin nippers (tiger barbs, some tetras) and fancy-finned livebearers. Bettas often hunt shrimplets and may attack adult cherry shrimp; larger Amano shrimp usually fare better.

Feeding: Insectivores/micropredators. Overfeeding is a common cause of bloat and poor water quality. Wild-caught fish may need live or frozen food before accepting pellets.