🐠 Marine Betta (Calloplesiops altivelis)
A Starry-Night Body of White Spots on Velvet • A Tail That Mimics a Moray Eel's Head • A Hardy, Nocturnal Showpiece
 
📋 The Marine Betta, also known as the Comet or Comet Grouper, has a dark, velvety body covered in small white spots like a starry night sky, a large, rounded, lobe-shaped tail, and a prominent false eyespot near the tail. Despite its name, it's not related to freshwater bettas; it just shares a similar body shape and long fins.
It has a remarkable trick. When it hides in a crevice, it reverses in partway and leaves only its rear exposed with the fins flared, so its tail and false eyespot closely mimic the head of a moray eel peering out of its den, a real example of Batesian mimicry. It lives in coral reef caves and crevices of the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea to depths of around 50 metres, emerging at night to hunt. It's hardy and disease-resistant once established, shy at first, and bolder with time. Every Marine Betta we ship is feeding well.
It's reef safe with caution: it's safe with corals, but adults will eat small fish and ornamental shrimp. It starts best on live river shrimp or blackworms, then moves gradually to frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and chopped seafood, and it's a naturally weak swimmer, so keep the flow gentle. It reaches up to 20cm, so plan on at least 470L.
 
💡 Highlights
✨ A Starry-Night Pattern: A dark, velvety body covered in white spots
🐍 A Moray Eel Mimic: Its tail and eyespot imitate an eel's head peering from a den
🌙 A Nocturnal Hunter: Hides in caves by day
💪 Hardy: Disease-resistant once established
🌿 Reef Safe With Caution: Safe with corals, but eats small fish and ornamental shrimp