All fish / Osphronemidae

Black Paradise Fish

Macropodus spechti

Also known as black paradisefish, black paradise fish, macropodus concolor, concolor paradise fish, spechti, dark paradise fish, ปลากัดจีนดำ, ブラックパラダイスフィッシュ, 黑叉尾斗鱼, 黑天堂鱼

A dark, almost black labyrinth fish with long, trailing fins edged in red or blue, and a deeply forked tail in males. It is hardy, tolerates cooler unheated rooms and shows interesting behaviour, which makes it a good alternative to the common paradise fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

18 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

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

Diet

Omnivore: quality flakes and pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, small live insects

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Northern and central Vietnam

Breeding

Males build a bubble nest at the surface and guard the eggs and fry after an embrace beneath the nest. Breeding is easy in a quiet, well planted tank; remove the female after spawning and the male once fry swim freely.

Good to know

Males fight each other and may harass small or long finned tankmates, so keep one male per tank and use a tight lid as it can jump. Long sold as Macropodus concolor, which is now treated as a synonym.