Paradise Fish

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Aquarius0015

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Sep 29, 2003
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I came very close last night to buying a gorgeous light blue paradise fish. The only thing that kept me from buying it was lack of space. Between my 12 gallon, my 5.5g, my 1g, my bamboo plant and the frozen tubifex worms in the mini-fridge, my roommate and friends already think I have too many organic things and a borderline psychological problem.

Luckily one of the LFS store employees told me that paradise fish are demons, worse than bettas and gouramis combined, and that they attack mercilessly most other fish. It might be an overstatement, but I'm glad I heard that in person, or I would have probably been tempted to try to "make it work." So I got guppies instead. Oy. I like my platies well enough, but they don't have as much "personality" as I thought they would.
 

PumaWard

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Jul 23, 2003
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Females are usually well behaved, it's the males you have to watch out for.

Doesn't really look like a paradisefish, but you may want to look in the Spiketailed paradise fish (Psuedophromenus dayii). They usually have a neon blue outlining to there finnage. Sadly, they are on the rare side of things, but if you can find them, they are pretty cool little fish.
 

Aquarius0015

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The LFS sells "spiketail" something, but I know it is not a paradise fish. I think they called it a spiketail gourami. It was in the $6 range.

How does one tell a female and male paradise fish apart? The LFS had a light blue type (I suppose this is natural, but from pictures I had imagined that they were darker) and an albino type. They were all about 2 inches long, excluding fins, and seemed to have the same amount of finnage and the same shape.

Edit: All of the paradise fish were in the same tank. From the descriptions I've heard, the males fight like bettas, so maybe they were all females???
 
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Wippit Guud

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Sep 27, 2002
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They're labyrinth breathers. So, like bettas, the males will beat each other up. Chances are that was a tank of females.
 

PumaWard

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Jul 23, 2003
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Males, at almost any size, will have really long finnage, their tails especially will have really long rays which can be up to 1/2 their body length, usually are the only ones to have the red bars. Females have the basic concave tail shape, nothing long.

The spiketails, do they look like this?


If so, they are the same as the spiketailed paradise, I would recommend them over regular paradise fish because they stay smaller and have a better attitude.

But, again, if you really like the regs, the females are a better option over the males... some can still be pugnacious though.


As far as them being in a tank together, juvenille males get along together, even adults will if there are enough of them in a tank.
 
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OrionGirl

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Aug 14, 2001
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I have a male black paradise fish. He is the clear ruler of the tank--he'll chase every fish in there, and will NOT share the tank with anything the swims in the upper level of the tank, though the cories, plecos, weather loach, otos and whiptails are tolerated. He killed a molly before I could get it out of the tank, and he was much smaller then. I love him--but he does not play well with others.

I know the blacks are a different species than the blue and red ones--they may be a bit better, but I wouldn't count on it.
 

Aquarius0015

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Pumaward, I don't remember any fish looking like that. Often the employees forget to remove the labels even after all of that species have left the tank, and I think that's the case here.
 

delmore

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Dec 2, 2001
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I have a male paradise fish, the common blue/red variety in a 5.5gal unheated tank with an AQ mini filter, glass canopy.

When I got him he was in a 10g tank with a dozen or so other 2" long paradise fish. I doubt that you could house a tank of male betta splendens together. They would tear eachother to ribbons.
I've been looking for spiked tailed paradise fish for months. So far no luck :(

If anyone sees any in NJ/NYC area let me know.
 

ScottoMacD

Charlie and Amanda's Daddy
Dec 21, 2001
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It was a sad day when my big black male paradise died from old age.

He was such an SOB it was great. :D He kept everyone in line and was the boss. The only fish that He wouldn't pick a fight with was my big old red tail shark who was even meaner. Those two kept the tank very lively. The barbs never knew what hit em. ;)

We have the blues in the store right now. Nice but I prefer the the blacks. Much cooler looking. I haven't been able to find any recently. The second I do though. Those barbs are in for some trouble. :p
 

Wippit Guud

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Sep 27, 2002
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Will you ship out east? :)
I want a black for the 20g I have sitting around. Just him and some bottom stuff for that tank.
 
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