Some new fish for my pond!

[susankat]

These are going to to out to my pond as soon as its warm enough and I get the thing cleaned out. Hopefully they will breed for me.

Black Paradise fish
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/susankat55/DSC02376.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/susankat55/DSC02354.jpg

[CACAdmin]

They are beauties. I had heard of them but don't know much. I had to look them up. Interesting creatures. I gather they are labyrinth fish. What range of temps do they tolerate (namely how early can they be added to the pond)?

[susankat]

They can tolerate from low 60's and higher, They will start breeding usually at temps of 79 -80. From what I read they can be hard to breed, hatch and raise as the fry are very tiny. So I am hoping to get at least a few this summer. The pond will be heavily planted to help protect them and any fry.

[CACAdmin]

I'll wish you the best of luck with them and hopefully by the end of the summer you'll have a nice little colony of them.

[neon]

and just when I thought only Koi were for ponds.

huh!

good luck!

nice fish!

[Gobies et al]

Good luck with your breeding plans!

I have Blue colored Paradise, sold as black. They have a blue body, no stripes and red fins. I have kept them in the outdoor pond and in a 300 gal indoor pond. They didn't breed for me in the ponds but the day after throwing them into a 10 gal. tank they did. I was just trying to get them out of the way so I could catch others without them always getting into the net. It was so neat to watch the spawning, the daddy looking after the eggs, and then him with the fry. I did raise some of the fry successfully but lost both parents within 2 months.

Here is a picture of one of my Blue paradise in the outside pond.

[CACAdmin]

Very pretty fish, Gerry. Too bad you lost the parents but that was cool that you not only got them to spawn but managed to do so while they were indoors where you could watch. Question, do they build bubble nests like Gouramis do?

[susankat]

Yes they do build bubble nests just like a betta does. Those are nice blue paradise. But I think they they are a type of black. There are 2 different types of blacks. Mine are the macropodus spechti, where as yours could be the honkonensis.

[Pamelajo]

Nice fish Susan and Gerry.

[Gobies et al]

Those are nice fish, Susan!

The male appears to have a crown tail, or is that the way he is holding it? The 2 females with him, are they also blacks? I haven't seen pictures of the black females before.

I have been told mine are just a variation of M. opercularis. I'll take another good look at them. If they are M. hongkongenis, I'll attempt to breed again, as they should be treated as an endangered species. :GEEK:

Thanks for pointing out the possibility! :Smile:

[susankat]

The tail is basically the way he was holding it for the moment. They are still somewhat stressed.

When the person first caught them they were put into a wrong container for a few seconds and were put to sleep. The container had clove oil in it.

The males tail does have a similar look as a crowntail but no near the size. The females are starting to get their colors now so not quite as light as they were. I'll have to take some more pics to show the comparison.

[GaryofMontreal]

I put regular blue paradises in the school pond last year and the year before. I had four - I took out 129 last year. I was still removing viable fish until just before the ice started forming.
The big males are very striking when the sun hits them, but they are a bit inclined to hide. The bubble nests in July are great, and their growth rates are surprising - most of the young I catch are an inch or more by October.

[Melody]

I knew I had heard about someone breeding them successfully in a pond once, but I couldn't remember who it was. I remember now :Smile: . Gary, that's the one that you gave away to the kids who wanted them, wasn't it? Definitly a success story!

I don't know much about the fish or breeding it, so I'll follow along with interest. Good luck Susan!

[neon]

Good luck with your breeding plans!

I have Blue colored Paradise, sold as black. They have a blue body, no stripes and red fins. I have kept them in the outdoor pond and in a 300 gal indoor pond. They didn't breed for me in the ponds but the day after throwing them into a 10 gal. tank they did. I was just trying to get them out of the way so I could catch others without them always getting into the net. It was so neat to watch the spawning, the daddy looking after the eggs, and then him with the fry. I did raise some of the fry successfully but lost both parents within 2 months.

Here is a picture of one of my Blue paradise in the outside pond.


ohhhhhhhhhhh love that fish with the red on its fins.

[leafgirl115]

Wow I did not know you could put them in your ponds. Good luck with breeding them.