Labyrinth Fishes: Part II
The
Paradise Fishes
by
Jennifer Wilkinson, CAS
Originally published in The Calquarium Volume 42, Number 1.
Aquarticles
The common paradise fish has colorful blue bands over a reddish
brown background. They also have a blue throat. The female is smaller than the male with
paler colours and shorter fins. They have lengthened rays on the dorsal fin as well as on
the caudal, giving them a lyre-tail or ragged appearance. The total length of the male is
11 cm, while the females only get to a total length of 8 cm.
Their natural habitat is shallow water, such as rice paddies of
eastern Asia, China, Korea, Taiwan, and the Ryuku Islands.
The paradise fish should be kept in large aquariums. They will not
disturb the plants. Young fish of this species may be kept together, however adult males
will fight like bettas, to their death. The adult males may also become belligerent toward
other smaller tank mates at spawning time. These fish will eat all kinds of fish foods.
They are not fussy when it comes to water conditions, however they prefer a temperature of
23º C. I kept three of them, in a 50 gallon community a few years ago without any
problems. They were not fully mature though.
These fish are easy to breed. They need a medium to large tank,
filled ½ full with water. There must be some hiding spots for the female to get away from
the male. Provide floating plants or a piece of Styrofoam, for the male to build the
bubble nest at the surface. No air stones or filtration is needed as it will break up the
bubble nest. The temperature of the breeding aquarium should be 26º C. The male wraps
himself around the female at which time the eggs are released. The eggs float up into the
bubble nest. The female should be removed right after spawning. The male should be removed
when the fry go free swimming.
These are fish I wouldn’t mind adding to my aquaria, if only I
could find a pair.
Macropodus chinensis
The round tailed paradise fish has a greyish black body. During
courtship the male is light with tiger like stripes on the head and anterior part of the
body. The caudal fin has some orange in it. The female is the smaller of the two. Her
total length is 5 to 7 cm, while the male can get to a total length of 8 cm.
They come from eastern China, in the north as far as Korea in all
kinds of water.
These fish are supposed to be more peaceful than the other paradise
fish, and better suited to a community tank. They will eat all kinds of fish foods. They
are not particular to water conditions, however they prefer a temperature of 20º C.
This paradise fish may be a little more difficult to breed. Set up
a well-conditioned pair in a 20 gallon aquarium or larger, with some anchored and floating
plants. The temperature in the spawning aquarium is much higher at 28º C. No air stone or
filtration. The male will build a bubble nest. Breeding takes place under the bubble nest,
and the eggs will float upwards toward the nest. A spawn usually consists of 200 to 300
eggs. The female should be removed right after spawning, the male should be removed when
the fry go free swimming.
I have included this paradise fish because it has a rounded tail. I
have seen some round tailed paradise fish lately and although not the same colours, I was
wondering if this could be the ones. See note at end of article.
Macropodus concolor
The black paradise fish are a solid black to greyish color. The
female when ready to spawn has lighter abdominal region. The males in spawning condition
are a dark black with red on the pelvic fins. Unpaired fins are lined in bluish white. The
female has shorter fins. The dorsal fins of the males end in a point.
They come from southern China and Vietnam.
These fish are more peaceful than the common paradise fish, but
still may be rough on smaller tank mates. They need a large aquarium with plants or hiding
spots. They will eat all kinds of fish foods. They are not fussy to water conditions,
although the ideal temperature is 24º C.
These paradise fish are easy to breed. Set a well conditioned pair
up in a large aquarium, in medium soft water. The temperature should be 26º C. The water
level should be about ½ full. Some hiding places for the female are a must. Floating
plants or a plastic lid on the surface of the water provide a site for the male to build a
bubble nest. The male will display for the female before mating takes place under the
bubble nest. The eggs float to the nest. The female should be removed as soon as spawning
is completed. The male should be removed when fry go free swimming.
I have included this species because I have heard stories that they
are around. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know as I have never seen them
anywhere.
Pseudosphromenus dayi
The spike-tail paradise fish have two dark brown lines extending
from the eye to the tail. The rest of the body is a beige brown color. The unpaired fins
are reddish brown and are out lined in light blue. The caudal fin ends in a point hence
the name spike tail. The male has longer fins than the female. The total length of the
male is 7.5 cm while the female has a total length of 6.5 cm.
Their natural habitat is in ditches and bogs in western India.
This species is very suitable for the community tank, however
larger tank mates may bother them. Some of the smaller gouramis would make nice tank mates
for them. They are not fussy about water conditions, however regular water changes are a
must for any aquarium fish. The ideal temperature is 25º C. They will eat anything that
will fit into their small mouths.
These fish are easy to breed. Introduce a pair into a well-planted
tank with caves. The male will build a bubble nest either under a rock cave or at the
surface under floating plants. 200 to 300 eggs are laid per spawn. The female will help
the male gather the eggs and place them in the bubble nest. When spawning is completed the
female should be removed. The male will look after the spawn until they go free swimming,
then he too should be removed. The fry need infusoria for the first couple of days, some
may be large enough to eat baby brine shrimp as a first food. If the young are kept in
favourable conditions they can be bred in only three months. Wow! Fast growers.
This is a fish that I would like to add to one of my community
aquariums. It stays small and should fit in with the other small fish that are already
established.
Other information: When the fry hatch they hang tail down in
between the bubbles of the bubble nest, or under the piece of Styrofoam or plastic lid.
Sometimes the male will mouth them or fan them, but don’t worry as a rule he will not
eat them. There is more danger of the male eating the fry after they go free swimming.
Even then the males won’t seem interested. However that is why the male should be
removed.
In conclusion paradise fish sound like interesting fish to keep, as
long as the proper conditions can be provided, if there happens to be fighting or
belligerent males. There have been two kinds of paradise fish available in the local pet
stores. One was the albino paradise fish, which were pink with white stripes and red eyes.
I assume a color strain of Macropodus opercularis. The other is called the purple
paradise fish. This fish looks a little different. It is slightly bluish purple with some
red or yellow in the fins. The caudal fill is round. There are only common names in this
store, and I can not find an exact picture of this fish in my books. It does look however
that they may have only males, as these are large fish, possibly adults. Could this be Macropodus
chinensis? I have no idea! Since I can’t find any information on them, I refuse
to purchase them. I prefer to know something about the fish that I place in my aquariums,
that way it causes less conflict in the aquariums and less stress for me.
P.S. Don’t forget to quarantine all new fish before adding
them to the community aquarium.
REFERENCES for both Part 1 and Part 2
Reihl Rudiger, & Baensch Hans A. 1994 Aquarium Atlas
fourth edition, published by Tetra Press.
Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod & Dr Leonard P. Schultz, 1990 Handbook
of Tropical Aquarium Fishes revised edition, published by T .F .H publications,
Jorg Vierke, 1988 T.F.H publications, Bettas, Gouramis And
Other Anabantoids, Labyrinth Fishes Of The World.
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