Results for “peat”

The genus Betta is the most speciose within the family Osphronemidae with almost 70 recognised members and looks set to grow further with new ones continuing to be described on a regular basis since the turn of the century. Member species have successfully adapted to inhabit a variety of ecological niches from stagnant ditches to flowing hill streams including some extreme environments such as highly acidic peat swamp forests.

Bintan has been developed for tourism over the last decades and is heavily-promoted by Indonesia, with luxury beach resorts and golf courses increasing in number. Further deforestation has occurred in order to establish large rubber plantations in the interior of the island. B. miniopinna is now restricted to a few remaining pockets of primary peat swamp forest and has been listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1996.

Restricted to remnant blackwater habits in heavily-disturbed areas of former peat swamp forest, the original vegetation having been cleared to make space for plantations of oil pal, pineapple and rubber. It's now typically found among overhanging marginal vegetation of irrigation canals, with sympatric species including Belontia hasseltii, Betta bellica, B. imbellis, Sphaerichthys osphromenoides, Parosphromenus sp., and Trichopsis vittata. PH in its natural waters has been recorded over the range 3.9 - 4.2.

The type series was purchased from a market in Jambi province, eastern Sumatra, Indonesia and this species is also known from neighbouring Riau province plus the island province of Bangka. On Sumatra it may be restricted to the Indragiri and Batang Hari river systems. Inhabits peat swamp forests and associated black water streams in which the water is typically stained brown with humic acids and other chemicals released by decaying organic material. The dissolved mineral content is generally negligible and the pH can be as...

A densely-planted tank with floating vegetation and roots, twigs or branches and natural leaf litter would seem appropriate. There's no need to use natural peat, the collection of which is both unsustainable and environmentally-destructive. Filtration should not be strong with an air-powered sponge-type unit ideal, and given it naturally inhab...

The type series was collected from a blackwater stream in Toh Daeng Peat swamp forest with the fish found in slow-moving or standing habitats among submerged shoreline roots and leaf litter. In the Tapi River floodplain it was collected from stagnant waters, one of which was an oxbow lake approximately 200 m long and 30 m across at its widest point, surrounded by 'freshwater scrub and swamp trees'. The substrate was composed of mud, woody structures including fallen twigs and branches, and decomposing plant material.

Has been recorded in fast-flowing environments but most commonly associated with peat swamp forests and associated blackwater streams. Many such habitats have suffered degradation of some kind but in unaltered cases the dense canopy of branches above means very little light penetrates the surface of such environments, and riparian vegetation also tends to grow thickly.