# Those who have experience with Paradise gourami



## ruturaj (Oct 8, 2017)

I am thinking about giant betta or paradise fish. If you had to choose one which one would it be?

I am looking for interactive fish with personality.


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## Old Dog 59 (Nov 11, 2018)

I'd go with the betta. With paradise fish, they do better with a mate (male female) and then they interact with each other. I never found a paradise fish to interact with a human like a betta does.


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## RNHime (Mar 12, 2015)

I don't have personal experience with paradise fish. However I am very interested in hearing what others have to say about them, as I did quite a bit of research on them not too long ago!


To be clear, I am talking about: _Macropodus opercularis_
This paradise fish can also be called the blue paradise gourami or just paradise gourami. It seems that they can be either blue with red stripes, red with blue stripes, or have an albino variation.
There are a few other "____ paradise fish" species that are different in behavior and needs from _opercularis_.



Interesting contrasts to bettas:
- *subtropical.* No need for a heater, these fish are found in a wide range of temps and more than likely will be happy with your home's ambient temperature. This would definitely be nice for someone who can't afford to run a heater.
- *different community concerns.* You can keep a male with females, which would be impossible with bettas, and possibly even another male in a big enough tank with LOTS of cover + females. But they are frequently described as being super nasty to other fish..?? While others say they have no issues with aggression in their tanks. Sounds like a mixed bag, similar to bettas.
- *need more space.* They are larger overall and while yes, bettas DO swim and many DO enjoy having space, it seems like a paradise fish truly needs a minimum of 10g. (Some sites say 20g minimum.) Bettas tend to stop and lounge, paradise fish look like they are constantly on the move.
- *less variety.* Bettas have been bred to the point that we've got a full rainbow of colors, huge variations in patterns and fins. Paradise fish are pretty, and they have stripes. But they are all about the same.


I will say, though uncommon, I've had a few bettas that just didn't care about people, hardly notice you at all. So while bettas are typically very people-oriented, not every one is. I'd say it depends a lot on the individual paradise fish and setup they live in, as to how well their personality may show or what experience someone has had with them. I saw videos online where they were in a tank and completely ignored the camera, another video where the fish displayed very "betta-like" behavior and wanted the human to pay attention to him. I'd say if you have a LFS where you can go and see them in person, and you want a friendly fish, look for the one who keeps looking at you.


I think it's very interesting that these are one of the oldest aquarium fish to ever be kept by humans, yet you don't see them much. At least I haven't. Perhaps that in itself is telling as to why they aren't more popular: difficulties in keeping due to aggression, etc? They are supposedly very hardy, so I can't imagine that is the issue. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a comeback with the increasing knowledge available to the fishkeeping community. It's getting easier to give fish the environment they need to thrive.

.....

As for which one I would choose, it would depend on:
- if I was looking to house a lone fish, or wanted it with others, possibly even others of it's own kind
(a betta can be fine in a community, so this is also greatly influenced by the next items
- size of tank I was setting up
- if I wanted it heated or not
- if I had any desire to breed the fish, or wanted to avoid that
(paradise fish in a group may = babies. I really like keeping a lone betta where I know I'm not going to end up with unexpected babies that I feel suddenly responsible for! But if I have the proper setup to try raising baby fish I'd go for something easier than bettas, so paradise fish might be the winner there!)

A betta will probably be your winner if you are looking to create a small aquarium, and have the ability to properly heat it. There are tons of bettas out there with fantastic personalities, you'll be able to tell when you see "the one" in the store. If you don't see one that grabs your attention on the first shopping trip (and likewise you grab his), just wait until you do! It's worth it.​


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

> I will say, though uncommon, I've had a few bettas that just didn't care about people, hardly notice you at all. So while bettas are typically very people-oriented, not every one


So true. As you can imagine, I have had hundreds of Betta over the years and there have been those that are not interactive. They do not notice if you pass and only slightly react if you are feeding. I attribute this to not having the same food drive as all other Betta whose reactions are motivated by the expectation of food.


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

I currently have a male paradise fish. He is in a fifteen gallon cube with Endler females White Clouds. He is getting on in years now, so often stays under his anubus (That is 'his' spot, and chases the other fish away from it) My experience with this fish leans me towards them being somewhat aggressive, and can give a nasty bite to other fish. My Paradise fish does notice me an awful lot, but his reaction is to flare up and go bonkers at me for being there.

Like the Betta I have noticed they are prone to being nipped on the fins, and my boy is currently recovering from this. 

In 'breeding dress' Paradise fish are stunning, really showing off their colour.... Not sure how that goes with the albino strain.


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## ruturaj (Oct 8, 2017)

Couldn't decide and ended up getting both. 

Paradise fish is in 20 gallon and betta in 10 gallon.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Congrats! You will have to keep us updated on what you think of the Paradise fish. Maybe a journal? That section isn't just for Betta.


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

Sweet Paradise fish. Looks like a female.


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## ruturaj (Oct 8, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Congrats! You will have to keep us updated on what you think of the Paradise fish. Maybe a journal? That section isn't just for Betta.


Thanks. So far it has been a great experience, both fish are very interactive and beautiful. 




VillagerSparky said:


> Sweet Paradise fish. Looks like a female.


I thought I had a male. Lol. How sure are you it's female? I don't know much about sexing these. The fish is around 2 inches in body size (excluding tail).


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

You could have a male that isn't quite yet mature, I'm honestly not sure now, lol. Either way, I do find that in a cold water community a Paradise fish can fit in pretty well.

Male Paradise fish, a bit like their Betta cousins tend to have more developed fins, but also tend to be slightly larger than females, and have more colour to boot. Females do tend to have slightly rounded fins, similar to other Gourami. Either way you certainly have a wonderful example of a Paradise fish.


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## Old Dog 59 (Nov 11, 2018)

It is defiantly a male. If it were a female the anal fin would be rounded. Your's comes to a very well defined point. He is a very good example of a Paradise fish. The more he gets use to his tank the more the colors will develop. Also color enhancing foods will also bring out his colors.


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## ruturaj (Oct 8, 2017)

VillagerSparky said:


> You could have a male that isn't quite yet mature, I'm honestly not sure now, lol. Either way, I do find that in a cold water community a Paradise fish can fit in pretty well.
> 
> Male Paradise fish, a bit like their Betta cousins tend to have more developed fins, but also tend to be slightly larger than females, and have more colour to boot. Females do tend to have slightly rounded fins, similar to other Gourami. Either way you certainly have a wonderful example of a Paradise fish.


LOL, I don't know much, when I got mine, I thought pointed tail (pointed on top and bottom ) indicated male. It wasn't biggest of the batch but wasn't smallest as well. There was one bigger but with darker color. 

My community tank now has otos, white clouds and panda Cory's. I am not sure why I wanted tank with single fish now. Love my lone betta tank too though. 



Old Dog 59 said:


> It is defiantly a male. If it were a female the anal fin would be rounded. Your's comes to a very well defined point. He is a very good example of a Paradise fish. The more he gets use to his tank the more the colors will develop. Also color enhancing foods will also bring out his colors.


Thanks for the information. I am still learning about sexing these, so your information is much appreciated. He has been tank for about a month. Went to fish store, they didn't sell rest of the guys and all fish looked dull and had lost tails, probably in fight.


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## Betta_addict36 (Jan 14, 2019)

Omg your betta is absolutely STUNNING!! I don't blame you for getting both of the fish, Personally I can never decide either. _Probably _ why I end up bringing like 3 home every time I go to the pet store, I went from 1 tank to 6 in a matter of months. yeah... now you understand my username! lol


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## Old Dog 59 (Nov 11, 2018)

Another way to tell is called venting. If you look at the fish from the underside, there you will see two vents, the back vent closest to the tail is the anal vent. the second vent in a male is about the same size as the anal vent and is for fertilization of the eggs . If it is larger then you will find it to be a female, this vent is for egg production. However in smaller fish the venting process is harder to see. Together with the venting and the tail shape, Males being pointed and females being rounded you will have a correct indication of the sex. Another good indication is in the colors of the fish. Males being brightly colored and females being duller. Color only holds true when the fish mature. Younger fish will not really color until they reach adult status.


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## ruturaj (Oct 8, 2017)

Betta_addict36 said:


> Omg your betta is absolutely STUNNING!! I don't blame you for getting both of the fish, Personally I can never decide either. _Probably _ why I end up bringing like 3 home every time I go to the pet store, I went from 1 tank to 6 in a matter of months. yeah... now you understand my username! lol


Thanks. He is pretty good looking. I wasn't planning to get second tank. When I was at petsmart, and just looking at bettas before going for billing, that's when I saw him. Didn't buy him at that time though. Spent 3 days and just wanted to have him. Went back and he was still there. 



Old Dog 59 said:


> Another way to tell is called venting. If you look at the fish from the underside, there you will see two vents, the back vent closest to the tail is the anal vent. the second vent in a male is about the same size as the anal vent and is for fertilization of the eggs . If it is larger then you will find it to be a female, this vent is for egg production. However in smaller fish the venting process is harder to see. Together with the venting and the tail shape, Males being pointed and females being rounded you will have a correct indication of the sex. Another good indication is in the colors of the fish. Males being brightly colored and females being duller. Color only holds true when the fish mature. Younger fish will not really color until they reach adult status.


Thanks for the information. I will try and see if I can do venting.


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