Paradise fish
Macropodus opercularis
Photo: André Karwath aka Aka · CC BY-SA 2.5
- Tank length
- 75 cm30 in
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C68–82 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Adult size
- 8 cm3 in
- Lifespan
- 5–10 yrs
Males can be combative and need carefully chosen companions.Males can be combative and need carefully chosen companions.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- African pike
African pike may eat Paradise fishAfrican pike may eat Paradise fish
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Paradise fishAlligator gar may eat Paradise fish
- Antenna ray
Antenna ray may eat Paradise fishAntenna ray may eat Paradise fish
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Paradise fishArapaima may eat Paradise fish
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat Paradise fishAsian arowana may eat Paradise fish
- Australian pearl arowana
Australian pearl arowana may eat Paradise fishAustralian pearl arowana may eat Paradise fish
- Barred bichir
Barred bichir may eat Paradise fishBarred bichir may eat Paradise fish
- Black bullhead
Black bullhead may eat Paradise fishBlack bullhead may eat Paradise fish
- Black diamond cichlid
Black diamond cichlid may eat Paradise fishBlack diamond cichlid may eat Paradise fish
- Brown bullhead
Brown bullhead may eat Paradise fishBrown bullhead may eat Paradise fish
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Paradise fishBullseye snakehead may eat Paradise fish
- Butterfly peacock bass
Butterfly peacock bass may eat Paradise fishButterfly peacock bass may eat Paradise fish
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 20–28 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 4–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Asia | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | top | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 5–10 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 75 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |