Paradise Fish

About

The paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis) has been striking hobbyists for longer than almost any other tropical species. A French soldier brought the first live specimens to Europe in 1869, and they were successfully bred in Paris that same year. Native to a wide stretch of East and Southeast Asia, from China's Yangtze basin south through Vietnam and across to Taiwan, this labyrinth fish thrives in habitats most fish couldn't tolerate: rice paddies, irrigation ditches, and sluggish backwaters with barely enough dissolved oxygen to sustain other species. Like its gourami relatives, it breathes atmospheric air directly, which contributes to its legendary toughness. Coloration is bold. Red and blue horizontal bars cover the body, with elongated, flowing fins on males that they spread wide during threat displays and courtship. The behavior is what demands the most attention from a keeper. Males are seriously territorial, prone to jaw-locking confrontations with rivals and capable of bullying fish that look remotely similar to themselves. A lone male can coexist peacefully in a community if tankmates are chosen carefully, but two males together will usually end badly unless the tank is genuinely large. Despite the attitude, this species is forgiving of water quality and temperature swings, making it one of the more accessible labyrinth fish for newer keepers willing to respect its temperament.