Paradise Fish

[Cooky_luvs]

I currently own two Paradise fish, Indigo and Phoenix. I keep them in 1 gallon bowls and they've been doing great. I'm thinking of getting a black paradise fish, but I've hear they get over 4 inches. What size tank/bowl would be best for one that size, or would a black paradise fish be able to hold it's own in a 55 gallon w/ 2 leporinus fasciatus, a pearl gourami, and 2 yo-yo loaches? Any input is appreciated!

 

[sylvia]

http/direktori.o-fish.com/data/505/1M_spechti.jpg Is this the black paradisefish you are reffering to? The name is macropodus spechti (the valid name for what has often been reffered to as macropodus concolor, macropodus opercularis spechti or macropodus opercularis concolor).

Like the 'common' paradisefish, these get to 3", with large males capeable of getting to 4" and females generaly always staying slightly smaller. None of these fish should realy be kept in a 1 gallon bowl. Paradisefish are remarkably hardy and can thrive in the most ridiculous environments, but it's nice to give them some extra space to swim around. They grow larger and are more active than bettas and even bettas shouldn't realy be kept in anything smaller than 2-2.5 gallons.

Keeping one in the larger tank also isn't an option. Paradisefish can be very aggressive, especialy the males, and are likely to attack other gouramies - so the pearl would be at risk. Also, the paradisefish, while able to hold its own with medium-sized fish and, despite its often boisterous nature, would not be able to handle a fully grown leporinus.

Actualy, I'm quite worried about your pearl as it is. How large are your leporinus? As you must know, leporinus get quite big, they can also be unpredictable and aggressive. Pearls are very peaceful fish, often preffering to be in the company of their own kind. A pearl won't stand a chance if one of your leporinus decides to attack it. I'd feel much better if it were moved to a more suitable, 'safer' environment.

 

[Cooky_luvs]

Yup that's the one I was talking about macropodus opercularis concolor. I guess if I ever do get one I can put him in a 5 gallon tank on his own. My other paradise fish have been seeming to thrive in their bowls, but I still may upgrade for them, give them some space to roam. They seem to do much better in bowls since I clean the bowls every few days, where as a 5 gallon tank isn't nearly as easy to clean. I've read though that black paradise fish look best when kept in a heated aquarium so that may be the way to go. Also about my Pearl she is a little terror and actually will attack my leporinus when the mood strikes her. My leporinus are only 3" each @ the moment but I'm sure they will grow more violent and terretorial with age. For now she feels like the "boss" of the tank, but as the leporinus grow she will be moved. My Leporinus has already eaten several danios (in the past) so i'm sure if they got bigger then the pearl they'd start looking at her as diner. Thanks for the help, I'll be waiting on another Paradise fish.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

ok... let's put it this way.

this is a one gallon bowl.

this is an adult male paradise gourami.

this is an adult male paradise gourami in a one-gallon bowl.

notice how his nose almost touches one side and his tail almost touches the other? my paradise gourami is a very active fish who greatly enjoys investigating and patrolling my 60g community aquarium. i can't imagine him reduced to only one gallon of territory.

before you acquire any more paradise fish, upgrade the two you already have!! i would say that a 10 gallon would the absolute least amount of territory to make a paradise gourami happy, but in terms of simple living space a cycled & filtered 5g could be enough to keep it healthy. if you filtered and cycled the tank, you would only need to perform partial waterchanges once a week. (by the way, a one-gallon bowl with a betta should recieve a full water change every day. paradise fish are much larger and thicker than bettas, so they produce more waste as well. your paradise bowls should be cleaned and refilled multiple times a day!)

 

[sylvia]

A warning over the leporinus - especialy because your gourami 'picks' on them, be aware that, as they grow a little, they are very likely to one day turn around and kill her. Fish don't take kindly to being harassed. When the leoprinus get tired of her annoying them, they'll kill her before you can do anything about it. I would urge you to take action before it's too late - not wait until after.

 

[Lexie3787]

You definitely need an upgrade for those two fish.