Hi, there. :)

Sooooo many different types of wild bettas! I could go on forever! But, for simplicity sake, wild bettas are broken into two groups: bubble nesters (like Betta splendens) and mouthbrooders. Typically, bubble nesters are more aggressive than mouthbrooders.

Yes, a lot of wild betta types do better in groups or pairs because they’re typically not as aggressive as Betta splendens. (We’ve purposely bred them to be more aggressive, after all.) However, some bubble nester types, such as Betta imbellis, Betta mahachaiensis, Betta smaragdina, can still be every bit as aggressive as splendens (they’re closely related). Even some mouthbrooders, like Betta pallifina, can still be quite aggressive as well.

No matter what betta type you have, you have to be prepared for aggression. Not all fish are compatible! You still have to have plenty of hides and plants to break the sightline. You also still have to have backup plans for if your pairs or groups don’t do well together.

Here is a look at various betta species: https://smp.ibcbettas.org/species/index.html

Here are just some cool pictures to show the variety within wild betta types:

Betta imbellis [Source]

Betta enisae [Source]

Betta pallifina [Source]

Betta channoides [Source]

And here are some fishblrs that have wild type bettas: @finnicky-art, @blackwaterbubbles, @gastromyzontidae I’m getting Betta channoides within the next month or two. Can’t wait!