Because of its pugnaciousness, the paradise fish is usually shunned by aquarists who have limited accommodation. This is rather a pity for it is a beautiful and interesting species. It’ll eat any foods, but has a preference for daphnia along with a live diet. Very hardy, the paradise fish can stand a temperature range of 50°-90°F, and is effortlessly tamed. This might at initial sound ridiculous for a fish, but nevertheless it is not long prior to it’ll accept tit-bits from the fingers of its owner.
The body colouring is a deep rusty red with emerald stripes. The long pointed filaments of the caudal fin, which are present on the male only, are generally emerald and end in a very pale blue. The females have a much more rounded tail and shorter fin tips.
Usually there’s small to select between the colouring of the sexes, but as spawning time approaches the male becomes much more vivid, whilst the female becomes paler and paler, until she is finally a drab white.
Adult paradise fish grow to about three inch, and whilst they could be put into a community tank it is advisable not to have the other occupants too small in comparison.
Paradise fish are typical in the rice fields of China, where they’ve a plentiful supply of food in the form of mosquito larvae.
They breed in the standard technique for bubble nesters, at a temperature of 75° F.
Even though classed as tropical, these fish can stand temperatures down to about 50° F. During the summer months they could, as a result, be cultured in a pond.