Data sheet paradise fish
German name:
paradise fish
Origin:
East Asia: shallow waters like paddy fields
Size:
8-11 cm
Aquarium
Length:
120 cm
Contents:
From 240 liters
Lighting:
Shady
Furnishings:
Dense planting with hiding places
water values
Temperature:
16-26ºC
PH value:
7 – 8
CH:
~ 10 °dKH
GH:
9 – 20 °dGH
Behave
Number:
2
Area:
center
propagation:
egglayer
Lining:
omnivore
Behave:
In pairs or 2-3 females per male
Difficulty level:
Advanced
About paradise fish
© Mirko Rosenau – Fotolia
Paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis, swim jerkily in open water.
They prefer to weave their way carefully through the undergrowth, fanning their pectoral fins and observing everything with lively eyes.
Therefore, shallow aquariums up to 40 centimeters high that are densely planted with herbs are suitable.
If there is still a cover of floating plants, paradise fish show a behavioral spectrum that is close to nature.
The aquarium should be at least 100 centimeters long.
If you want to breed, 120 centimeters is better.
Under normal conditions in the aquarium, paradise fish are almost always in the mood to spawn.
They are then unbearable and difficult to socialize with.
They are best kept in a small pond in the summer and only in the aquarium at 16 to 20° C during the winter.
Under such keeping conditions they are great fish.
Paradise fish must not be kept too warm.
Paradise fish do not like water that is too warm. The temperature should be 23-24°C. Paradise fish spawn at temperatures as low as 20 – 22° C. Paradise fish are often kept and bred like tropical dwellers. The animals are constantly in the mood to spawn. If animals are kept too warm, the temperature should be gradually reduced to room temperature over a week.
Paradise fish react very sensitively to a sudden cooling of 2 to 3 degrees. This also applies if the animals are to be kept in a pond or bucket in summer. They should only be implemented on really warm days. Water changes should also be carried out on warm days.
On the other hand, there is no problem when transferring warmer water to the other pool. Even after buying a new one, paradise fish should initially be placed in water that is 1 to 2 degrees warmer. Then the water is slowly allowed to drop to the desired temperature.
gender differences
Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: Public domain Author: A-kun–a
At salable age, the sexes can be distinguished relatively easily.
Males are longer or slimmer and sometimes have pointed fins.
Females are usually paler and have shorter fins.
When spawning, they are rounder or round-bellied.
Food for macropods
Macropods can feed in all water layers. In nature, they sometimes live in loamy, cloudy water. They find food there with their sense of taste. As shallow water animals, they take a large part of the food from the surface, e.g. B. drowning insects.
Suitable feed:
- Red mosquito larvae
- Black mosquito larvae
- catfish tablets
Paradise fish are rough
Male paradise fish threaten before the fight Source: Picture on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: A-kun–a
Paradise fish can become very rough and aggressive. The eyes and tail fins of other fish can be bitten off. Paradise fish become aggressive towards each other, against other gourami and against completely different fish species.
Some aquarists therefore recommend keeping paradise fish in only one species tank.
Outside of the mating season, macropods can be socialized with one another if the basic conditions, such as tank size, furnishings, roommates, etc. are right.
In the group, there is a pecking order among paradise fish, similar to chickens. The weaker retreats ritually or is expelled. If a weaker animal cannot dodge in a confined space, it may be bitten on the fins by a stronger animal.
Even if the weaker animal adopts a humble attitude, attention is drawn to the vibrating pectoral fin, as well as to small snails or planarians. At some point, the stronger one snaps.
The humble attitude probably serves to initiate a retreat. If there is no retreat or if the retreat is too late, it will snap or the weaker one will be rammed.
Paradise fish males fight for their territory Source: Picture on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: A-kun–a
Animals from subtropical regions with temperate temperatures, such as paradise fish, are already in the mood to spawn at temperatures at which tropical fish species are not normally in the mood to reproduce.
Constantly in the mood to spawn, they are also constantly correspondingly aggressive.
Macropods have a division of labor in brood care and relatively loyal partnerships.
The male takes care of the nest. The female defends the territory.
A single brood-caring pair can completely claim a 300 liter aquarium and terrorize all the other animals in it.
Macropodus opercularis Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 2.5 Author: André Karwath
Even in summer ponds of 2 to 4 square meters one female can terrorize the whole pond. With the exception of their own male, all territorial males are specifically tracked down in their territories and alternately chased through the pond. Other females and other species are attacked.
The care of the brood is monitored for the own male. If necessary, the female pretends that he should produce more foam and brings back any escaped larvae. In at least 2 cases a female continued to care, made replacement foam and cared for the little ones in the nest when the male was gone, possibly by herons, cats etc.
Because brood-caring males violently attack uninvited visitors, the female approaches the nest in such a way that the male’s defense instinct is blocked. The male does not tolerate the female at the nest all the time. The female, in turn, sends the male back to the nest when the male swims away, e.g. B. chasing food, etc.
A pair in a 50 liter aquarium cannot show this natural behavior. Because there is little space, the male then hunts the female just like other fish species. Macropods are very good at seeing out of the water and through windows. Macropods only show their fully natural behavior in large tubs or small ponds where there is only one top.
Macropodus opercularis Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. 3.0 Author: Matthias Kloszczy
Fish with basic colors similar to those of paradise fish unleash violent attacks during the spawning season. For example, moonshine platies, red platies, red or blue bettas and the three cross-striped colisa species are often at risk of being attacked or hunted.
In the spawning season, paradise fish even beat up Malawi cichlids, e.g. B. Male zebra cichlids. However, such socialization should not be imitated.
Macropods survive even under very unfavorable conditions in low-oxygen muddy shallow waters. Like armored catfish, they have an excellent sense of taste, even though they can’t see practically anything. Therefore, they can also be found in turbid water, e.g. B. find earthworms or fish in distress. They somehow notice when something is wrong. Attacks on other fish can also be explained in this way.
In winter, paradise fish can be kept in a smaller species tank at 16 to 18°C. Outside of the spawning season, they are compatible with each other. Even in sparsely planted tanks they then form a free troop-like swimming formation.
Perhaps they also form gangs similar to single file in the areas of origin when the water levels are high, as is repeatedly reported about the Colisas.
However, the temperature should not be lowered for females who are about to spawn. Otherwise spawn hardening may occur.
Macropodus opercularis concolor
Macropodus opercularis concolor are not quite as aggressive as other macropods. However, they also become aggressive during the spawning season. They form territories and only defend them against conspecifics.
Macropodus opercularis concolor require slightly higher temperatures than other macropods. Temperatures of at least 26 to 27° C are necessary for offspring.
2 males and 2 females can be kept in 240 liters if they are used together relatively young. The males sometimes hunt each other. Growing up together in a group is very important in terms of social behavior. Offspring are less aggressive than wild ones.
In a 500 liter aquarium, 5 animals can be kept with other Asian fish species, e.g. B. with bettas, gobies, etc. They can also be socialized with larger gouramis, Trichogaster leeri.
Suitable water values:
- Carbonate hardness below 3 to 5
- Total hardness 9 to 10
- pH 6.4 to 7
So that the water is slightly acidic, it can be filtered through peat.
According to their areas of origin, the aquarium should be densely planted. One half of the tank should be densely overgrown with chickweed, duckweed, frog bites and other floating plants.
Roots can be in the tank but are not essential. Possibly the willingness to spawn is promoted if roots are built up in the corners of the aquarium. The roots must produce distinctive points and provide an incentive for the males.
Which fish can be socialized with macropods?
Macropodus opercularis Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. 3.0 Author: Matthias Kloszczyk
C. paleatus is suitable for socializing in a well-structured, unheated living room tank. The paradise fish enliven the upper and middle water layers. The armored catfish can swim through the lower water layers almost undisturbed at dusk and at night.
In addition, the catfish wear effective armor that repels the occasional nudge.
C. paleatus can also be kept in unheated aquariums. If they have lived in a heated tank for a long period of time, the temperature should be lowered slowly, as with paradise fish.
Paradise fish cannot be socialized with luxury barbs. On the one hand, mullets are too lively. On the other hand, according to one report, young macropods pursue them so fiercely that the experiment had to be ended after three minutes.
Paradise fish get along with Siamese fighting fish, Beta splendens.
However, paradise fish only really come into their own in a sparsely stocked species tank.
Instructions for rearing
Macropodus opercularis mating (ogg format film)
Source: Movie on Wikimedia Commons
License: Public domain
Author: Tenn Hian-kun
Paradise fish fry just brought into the foam nest by the male Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: Public domain Author: Tenn Hian-kun
During the breeding season, ie when territory is established and the males…