[Jacob]

America has so many people, and so many people who spend money on fish, and who keep reef tanks, discus and other aquariums that need more than minimal attention, I feel like if peat fish were available often enough for long enough, they would then become permanent fixtures. Producing huge amounts of any freshwater fish will be done if it is profitable, and the kinds of people who want these rare fish that require extra care are the kinds of people who will pay more for their hobby. So it should be worth it for people to breed them, people will pay for rare gouramis when they’re available, like I said with betta channoides, and betta macrostoma is actually becoming more available from what I see on aquabid and also offered at same store I mentioned as unsexed juveniles.
I don’t know if this will work out how I think of it, but the fact there is such a huge amount of money and attention that can be directed towards aquariums here, it seems like it might not be impossible to use that to preserve some species. If people care about discus, reef tanks etc. why not peat fish, they have a certain appeal in the fish themselves and the tanks they are kept in. And may even have advantages over other aquarium fish, in a way their natural habitat makes them really appropriate for aquariums, they live in very small shallow bodies of water, unlike some large fish and saltwater fish that seem out of place in captivity. The complete experience and the ecological perspective are there with these freshwater fish.