Paradise fish
Encyclopedia
Paradise fish or paradise gouramis (Macropodus opercularis) are small freshwater
labyrinth fish found in ditch
es and paddy field
s in East Asia
, ranging from the Korean Peninsula
to Northern Vietnam
.
Paradise gouramis were one of the first ornamental fishes available to western aquarium
keepers, having been imported to Europe
as early as the 19th century. These small fish (adults are typically about 10 cm (4")) are ideal lone inhabitants of aquariums. The paradise fish is one of the more aggressive members of its family, by being more aggressive than the blue gourami. Yet they are far less aggressive than the rarely kept Combtail
.
ive, harassing and attacking each other as well as potentially kill
ing small fish. In the wild, they are predators, eating insect
s, invertebrate
s and fish fry. The popularity of this species has waned in recent decades as much more colorful (and often, less pugnacious) species of gourami
s have become widely available to hobbyists. This species is one of the few fish that can change its color (lighter or darker) in response to stimuli.
s, or even the simplest of unheated aquariums. They will accept virtually any food, but should be given a reasonably high-protein diet (as opposed to vegetable-based foods of the sort sold for goldfish.)
They also like eating mosquito larvae, black worms,brine shrimp and small flies
Paradise Fish are often aggressive thus tankmates must be chosen with care. Suitable tankmates include giant danio
s, large tetra
s, most smaller catfish
es and even some of the less aggressive cichlid
s, such as firemouth cichlid
s.They can hold their own against most South American cichlid species of a similar size, that aren't overly aggressive. Slow moving or long finned fish such as fancy goldfish and freshwater angelfish are likely to be attacked, betta
s and gourami
s may also be victimized due to their resemblance to paradise fish. Male paradise fish may also attempt to court female bettas and gouramis.
Small fish less than 3 cm are likely to be consumed. Males are particularly aggressive and should not be kept with slow fish or fish with long, flowing finnage which is commonly shredded by the territorial paradise. In a community tank, male Paradise fish fight other paradises, as well as any other fish for dominance. Paradise fish will often fight with other fish for dominance, particularly other aggressive, robust fish, such as cichlids, gouramis, and even flying foxes. They therefore should not be housed with any other fish which may attempt to challenge them, because this leads to fighting. If kept with significantly larger but non aggressive fish, such as geophagus
cichlids, large synodntis catfishes, or larger gouramis, they are usually submissive and do not act nearly as aggressive as if they are the dominant species in the aquarium. However, if the larger fish are also aggressive, they will not even attempt to fight and will take to hiding behind filters, plants, or in decor, and will succumb to stress.
As is typical of most betta
s and gourami
s, spawning
involves a male
building a bubble nest
(a floating mat of saliva
-coated air bubbles, often incorporating plant
matter) and attracting a female
to it. If the female accepts the male's advances, the fish will 'embrace' in open water, releasing both eggs and sperm into the water. The male gathers the fertilized egg
s after each embrace
, spitting them up into the bubble nest. After spawning, the male has no further use for the female and may violently attack her (and any other fish that approaches the nest.) Once the fry hatch and have begun to swim freely, the male is best removed and the fry raised on infusoria
or newly hatched brine shrimp
.
There is an albino form of Macropodus opercularis available. Many aquarist authorities consider this form to be less aggressive than the wild type, but also less hardy, having more trouble with low temperatures.
ΨἒἒἻ
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
labyrinth fish found in ditch
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
es and paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, ranging from the Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
to Northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Paradise gouramis were one of the first ornamental fishes available to western aquarium
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
keepers, having been imported to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as early as the 19th century. These small fish (adults are typically about 10 cm (4")) are ideal lone inhabitants of aquariums. The paradise fish is one of the more aggressive members of its family, by being more aggressive than the blue gourami. Yet they are far less aggressive than the rarely kept Combtail
Combtail
The combtail is a species of fish in the Osphronemidae family which is endemic to Sri Lanka. The Combtail, in addition to normal gills, has a Labyrinth, or rudimentary lung-like organ which enables it to survive in poorly oxygenated water, or even out of water, for considerable periods of time...
.
Behaviour
Paradise Fish are fairly combatCombat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
ive, harassing and attacking each other as well as potentially kill
KILL
KILL is the sixth album by Detroit rock band Electric Six.In initial press releases, the band described the album as being a return to a sound more akin to their debut album, but this was later revealed by front-man Dick Valentine to be more gimmick than truth.An explicit video was released for...
ing small fish. In the wild, they are predators, eating insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s and fish fry. The popularity of this species has waned in recent decades as much more colorful (and often, less pugnacious) species of gourami
Gourami
Gouramis are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea. The name "gourami" is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. "Gouramis" is an example of...
s have become widely available to hobbyists. This species is one of the few fish that can change its color (lighter or darker) in response to stimuli.
Habitat and Diet
Paradise fish are tolerant of virtually any water conditions, surviving in cool and warm waters alike. They can be kept in outdoor pondPond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s, or even the simplest of unheated aquariums. They will accept virtually any food, but should be given a reasonably high-protein diet (as opposed to vegetable-based foods of the sort sold for goldfish.)
They also like eating mosquito larvae, black worms,brine shrimp and small flies
Disease control with Paradise Fish
In Taiwan the native populations of Paradise Fish have been reduced to low levels by pollution in the rivers, and now it is listed in Taiwan as a threatened species. The Aedes mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is breeding in the absence of one of its main predators, and dengue fever is threatening the Human population.In Home Aquarium
Male paradise fish should be kept apart, since they will fight aggressively by locking jaws. A male can be kept with females; females may also be kept together in groups. A tank that includes paradise fish should be at least 2.5 gallons in size for a single male or 20-30 gallons for a community tank. The tank should be well planted and covered; bogwood and rockwork may be included.Paradise Fish are often aggressive thus tankmates must be chosen with care. Suitable tankmates include giant danio
Giant Danio
The giant danio is a tropical fish belonging to the minnow family Cyprinidae. Originating in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the west coast of India, this species grows to a maximum length of 6 inches , making it one of the largest of the danionins...
s, large tetra
Tetra
thumb|right|250px|Pristella tetra — [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|Golden Pristella tetra, a [[morph |morph]] of [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|[[Silvertip tetra]] — Hasemania nana....
s, most smaller catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es and even some of the less aggressive cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s, such as firemouth cichlid
Firemouth cichlid
Firemouth cichlids are native to Central America. They occur in rivers of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, south through Belize and into northern Guatemala. Their natural habitat is typically shallow, slow-moving, often turbid, water with a pH of 6.5 - 8.0. It has also been reported to live in...
s.They can hold their own against most South American cichlid species of a similar size, that aren't overly aggressive. Slow moving or long finned fish such as fancy goldfish and freshwater angelfish are likely to be attacked, betta
Betta
Betta is a large genus of small, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes in the gourami family . The type species is B. picta, the spotted betta.By far the best known Betta species, however, is B...
s and gourami
Gourami
Gouramis are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea. The name "gourami" is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. "Gouramis" is an example of...
s may also be victimized due to their resemblance to paradise fish. Male paradise fish may also attempt to court female bettas and gouramis.
Small fish less than 3 cm are likely to be consumed. Males are particularly aggressive and should not be kept with slow fish or fish with long, flowing finnage which is commonly shredded by the territorial paradise. In a community tank, male Paradise fish fight other paradises, as well as any other fish for dominance. Paradise fish will often fight with other fish for dominance, particularly other aggressive, robust fish, such as cichlids, gouramis, and even flying foxes. They therefore should not be housed with any other fish which may attempt to challenge them, because this leads to fighting. If kept with significantly larger but non aggressive fish, such as geophagus
Geophagus
Geophagus is a genus of cichlids from South America. The genus is currently polyphyletic and in need of further taxonomic revision. Some geophagine cichlids previously included in this genus have been reallocated to Gymnogeophagus or Satanoperca...
cichlids, large synodntis catfishes, or larger gouramis, they are usually submissive and do not act nearly as aggressive as if they are the dominant species in the aquarium. However, if the larger fish are also aggressive, they will not even attempt to fight and will take to hiding behind filters, plants, or in decor, and will succumb to stress.
Reproduction
Betta
Betta is a large genus of small, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes in the gourami family . The type species is B. picta, the spotted betta.By far the best known Betta species, however, is B...
s and gourami
Gourami
Gouramis are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea. The name "gourami" is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. "Gouramis" is an example of...
s, spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
involves a male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
building a bubble nest
Bubble nest
Bubblenests, also spelled bubble nests or bubble-nests, created by some fish species, are floating masses of bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles, and occasionally aquatic plants, or an area for egg deposit attached at the bottom. Fish that build and guard bubble nests are known as...
(a floating mat of saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
-coated air bubbles, often incorporating plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
matter) and attracting a female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
to it. If the female accepts the male's advances, the fish will 'embrace' in open water, releasing both eggs and sperm into the water. The male gathers the fertilized egg
Ovum
An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization...
s after each embrace
Embrace
Embrace may refer to:*A hug, a form of physical intimacy*Embrace , an English band*Embrace , a United States band*Embraze, a Finnish band originally called Embrace...
, spitting them up into the bubble nest. After spawning, the male has no further use for the female and may violently attack her (and any other fish that approaches the nest.) Once the fry hatch and have begun to swim freely, the male is best removed and the fry raised on infusoria
Infusoria
Infusoria is a collective term for minute aquatic creatures like ciliates, euglenoids, protozoa, and unicellular algae that exist in freshwater ponds...
or newly hatched brine shrimp
Brine shrimp
Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period...
.
There is an albino form of Macropodus opercularis available. Many aquarist authorities consider this form to be less aggressive than the wild type, but also less hardy, having more trouble with low temperatures.
ΨἒἒἻ