Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Paradise Fish
Macropodus opercularis
Also called Paradisefish, Paradise gourami, Blue paradise fish, Chinese fighting fish, Fork-tailed paradisefish
From East Asia, from the Yangtze basin of China south to northern Vietnam, including Hainan and Taiwan. Lives in ditches, paddy fields, small streams and backwaters.12
A friendly guide, not veterinary advice. For anything about your pet's health, ask your vet.
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Scaled labyrinth fish
A compact, colourful fish with a deeply forked tail. Bodies show alternating blue and red-orange bars, and males carry longer, more flowing dorsal, anal and tail fins than females. It can lighten or darken its colours depending on mood.23
Personality what they are like
A confident, spirited fish with plenty of character. Males are very territorial with each other, so it is not a typical community-tank fish.123
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active and curious; appreciates a planted tank with hiding places and room to patrol.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Hardy and adaptable. Keep only one male per tank unless space is very large, and choose tankmates that are peaceful and unlike it in shape.3
Home where they are happiest
Tank of at least about 80 x 30 cm (around 70 litres) for a pair. Water roughly 10 to 26 °C (often fine unheated), pH 6.0 to 8.0, hardness about 5 to 20 dGH.13
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A predatory omnivore that eats insects and small invertebrates in the wild. Offer small live or frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp and worms, plus quality dried food.123
Company who they like around
Keep as a pair, or one male with two or more females to spread his attention.3
The story where it all began
Paradise fish reached France in 1869, brought by a French soldier named Gerault, and Germany in 1876. They were among the very first ornamental fish imported to Europe after the goldfish and the first tropical freshwater fish bred in captivity there.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Paradise fish can gulp air at the surface, which lets them live in still, low-oxygen water.1
- 2
The male builds a floating nest of saliva-coated air bubbles and guards the eggs until they hatch.1
- 3
In 1869 it became one of the first ornamental fish brought to Europe, after the goldfish.1
- 4
It can quickly change how light or dark its colours look in response to what is going on around it.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (2010).1
- Fishkeeping
- One of the first ornamental fish brought to Europe, and widely kept around the world.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Paradise Fish. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Water changeAbout 25 to 30% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Macropodus opercularis fishbase.seused for names, range, size, weight, temperature, pH, habitat, diet, IUCN, bubble nest, history
- Wikipedia: Paradise fish en.wikipedia.orgused for names, colours, diet, behaviour, history
- Seriously Fish: Macropodus opercularis seriouslyfish.comused for size, tank size, water parameters, diet, compatibility, group, colour forms, history
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.