All fish / Osphronemidae

Phong Nha paradise fish

Macropodus phongnhaensis

Also known as phong nha paradisefish, vietnamese paradise fish, macropodus sp. phong nha

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This is a small paradise fish described from cave-fed streams in central Vietnam. It has a brownish body with faint darker bars, and males show long fins with blue and reddish edging. Keepers value it as a hardy, rarely seen labyrinth fish that copes with cooler water.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

18 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

One male with one or more females, or a single pair

Diet

Omnivore: small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp, plus good flake or granules

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Central Vietnam (Phong Nha-Ke Bang area, Quang Binh province)

Breeding

Males build a bubble nest at the surface, often among floating plants, and guard the eggs and fry after spawning. Breeding is fairly easy in a quiet tank, but the female should be moved out afterwards as the male can harass her.

Good to know

Males fight one another and can bully females, so give plenty of cover and floating plants. Its wild range is very small, so captive-bred fish are the better choice; it can be confused with other Macropodus species.