(Please note that the fish shown in the photo is only a representative of what an adult specimen would look like. The color may vary based on the age and sex of the fish you receive.)
Scientific Name: Macropodus opercularis
Common Name: Blue Paradise Gourami, Blue Paradise Fish, Paradise Gourami
Adult Size: 4 inches
Life Expectancy: 6 - 8 years
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Ideal Tank Conditions:
- Temperature Range: 61 - 79° F
- pH Range: 5.8 - 8.0
- Hardness Range: 5 - 30
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet & Nutrition: Omnivores; will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a quality flake or pellet food as the base to the diet. Supplementation should include white worms, blood worms, brine shrimp, or any other suitable substitute.
Breeding & Spawning: Bubble nest builders. Breeding is fairly easy and providing a breeding tank that is to their liking is perhaps the biggest challenge. A pair will be most likely to spawn if there is a fair amount of plants, a good sized surface area, and the temperature is to their liking. When well fed, females should begin filling out with eggs, appearing very plump. Female must be removed after the eggs are produced or she risks being killed by the male.
Gender: Males paradise are larger than females and have brighter and stronger color patterns. Their fins are also longer and larger than females.