Marine betta (comet)

Care at a glance

The marine betta, or comet, is dark brown with white spots and has a large eye spot at the rear of the dorsal fin. When it withdraws halfway into a crevice, its rear end with that eye spot looks strikingly like the head of a moray, which deters predators.

It is active at dusk and at night, swims with slow elegance and likes to stay under overhangs by day. Anything small enough eventually disappears, so no small gobies or ornamental shrimp; feed meaty or frozen food in the evening.

Good to know

• Active at night
• Preys on shrimp and snails

Best not combined with

• Neon gobyElacatinus oceanops
• Sexy shrimpThor amboinensis

Related species

• Dwarf seahorseHippocampus zosterae
• Painted frogfishAntennarius pictus
• Lined seahorseHippocampus erectus
• Skunk clownfishAmphiprion akallopisos
• Pink skunk clownfishAmphiprion perideraion
• Volitans lionfishPterois volitans