Red / Blue Paradise Fish

A very popular gourami that is cousin to the Betta fish is the Paradise fish. Male Paradise Fish feature a bright red to orange and green to blue striped pattern. They also have long and pointed fins. The females are much duller in coloration. They are very popular because they are very hardy and easy to care for.

Caution should be taken when deciding what types of fish to keep as tank mates of Paradise Fish. Males are known to show aggression to smaller fish or fish that show a resemblance to female Paradise fish. Only keep them with other fish of similar size and disposition. Avoid keeping them with other gouramis, Betta fish and only keep one male Paradise fish in a tank.

Because they can breathe air, Paradise Fish can be kept in very small tanks. To give them adequate living conditions they should not be kept in any tank smaller than 10 gallons in size. They are jumpers so be sure to have a proper hood to cover the tank. The tank should have some floating plants to dim the lights and some type of cave for the female Paradise Fish if both a male and a female are kept together.

When they are not breeding a male Paradise Fish will show more aggression to a female. A male and a female Paradise Fish can be kept together but if they are they should be kept in a tank that has plenty of hiding places for the female to seek shelter from the aggression of the male. When spawning, the male will build a bubble nest in plants at the surface of the water. Shortly after he will court the female and after spawning he will guard the eggs in the nest. The female should be removed from the tank after spawning or she may suffer from aggression from the male.

Paradise Fish will accept a wide range of foods including commercial formula flake foods, pellets and live foods. One fun trait is they will jump from the water to take flakes from the tips of the fingers of the person feeding them. Because of their hardiness and brilliant coloration they are a popular aquarium fish to keep.

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