Blue Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis) - Tank-Bred!
The hardy and versatile Blue Paradise Fish is the original aquarium fish, and it is still considered one of the most graceful and beautiful! It is an excellent focal point species for the subtropical aquarium.
The Blue Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis) is a strikingly colorful and versatile labyrinth fish that happens to be the fish that started the indoor home aquarium hobby in the 19th century. It is widespread across both lowland and highland streams, swamps, and rice fields throughout much of Southeast Asia, China, and Taiwan and it has been introduced to waterways of several other countries as well. Like all labyrinth fish, it possesses an air-breathing organ that supplements its gills and allows it to live in aquatic areas that are stagnant and low in oxygen content. Both sexes display brilliant blue and red coloration, but mature males display extended rays in the caudal, anal, and dorsal fins.
The Blue Paradise Fish is highly adaptable, but it prefers an aquarium with dense vegetation and plenty of cover, including floating plants. Darker substrate will result in the most vivid coloration for this fish. Slow to moderate water movement is preferred, so turbulent conditions should be avoided. This fish is typically peaceful with other non-similar fish, but adult males can be territorial with one another and may be relentless in their pursuit of females during breeding. This is much less of an issue in larger aquariums with plenty of cover. While it is possible to keep this fish with most peaceful invertebrates of appropriate size, it is likely to prey on dwarf shrimp and other invertebrates small enough to be considered prey. The Blue Paradise Fish should not be kept with other gouramis, bettas, or any other fish that are similar in appearance unless the aquarium is particularly large with ample hiding spaces. This fish will tolerate a wide temperature range, but it will thrive in subtropical conditions and is widely believed to benefit from even cooler temperatures during the winter.
The Blue Paradise Fish is not a picky eater and it will accept most dry, frozen, and live foods. However, it should be fed a varied diet to maintain optimal health and coloration.
- Bold, elegant coloration and finnage
- Generally peaceful disposition with non-similar fish
- An excellent, graceful addition to planted subtropical aquariums
- Accepts a variety of dry, frozen, and live foods
- Very adaptable and easy to breed in the home aquarium
- Temperature: 50° - 72° F (10° - 22° C)
- pH: 6.0 - 8.0
- KH: 3 - 18 dKH
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons for a pair or trio
- Diet: Mostly carnivorous. Not picky, but requires a varied diet of dry, frozen, and live foods for optimal health and coloration.
- Social behavior: Generally peaceful. Can be kept in groups, but males can be very territorial with one another or other similar fish.
- Origin: Tank-bred, but indigenous throughout much of Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and China
- Average adult size: 3 inches (7.6 cm)
- Average purchase size: 2 - 2.5 inches (5 - 6.4 cm)
We ship all of our packages out of our warehouse located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
UPS 2 Day is a premium service that has two day delivery to nearly every address in the United States.
UPS 1 Day is an overnight service to all continental addresses. We have been able to negotiate excellent rates with UPS, and our longtime customers will notice a 25%-60% savings when compared to our previous overnight shipping service.
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- Dry Goods Only Shipping
Dry goods will ship for FREE if you spend $50. There will be an $8 shipping fee for dry goods for any amount less than a subtotal of $50 on dry good only orders.
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- Shipping Details
UPS 2 Day and UPS 1 Day is a description of the shipping time and service. Please refer below for up to date handling times. Using UPS 2 Day and 1 Day does not guarantee the package will be shipped on the second or next day from which the order was placed.
All of our packages are shipped via UPS 2 Day or 1 Day if animals are included in the order. USPS is an option for dry goods and plants only.
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- Shipping Rates
Shipping rates will vary based on shipping service, how far the package has to travel from our location in Indiana, and how big the package is. We currently offer three shipping price rate tiers for small, medium, and XL size packages. All rates are calculated automatically at checkout.
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- Extreme Cold Shipping Advisory
Winter temperatures are here and parts of the country may be too cold for us to safely ship using UPS 2 Day Shipping services. If the overnight lows in your location or here in Indianapolis, IN where we are located are too cold, we will suspend shipping as needed for the safety of our animals and your investment. (we reserve the right to hold an order in extreme weather if we deem it is unsuitable to ship for the safety of the animals) You may always contact our Customer Service team via email at info@AquaticArts.com with any questions or concerns.
Delays in shipping may occur when temperatures in shipping destinations or here in Indianapolis, Indiana where we are located reach 90 degrees or more, overnight lows are 30 degrees or below, or when postal holidays occur for both UPS and USPS shipments. The temperature cut offs for UPS 1 Day are above 110 degrees or overnight temperatures are below 20 degrees. We will send you an email when we print your shipping label, and that will be the day we ship your order out. This email will include your tracking number as well. Your package should take 2 days to arrive after that if you chose UPS 2 Day or if you chose UPS 1 Day your order would arrive the next day after shipment. If your order contains only plants or dry goods then your order may ship with USPS if that is the shipping option you chose at check
- Our Normal Shipping Schedule by Carrier
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- Current handling time is 1-9 business days
- Pricing is by size of package needed to fill order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
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- PO Boxes We do not ship Live Animals to PO Boxes. If you enter a PO Box address during checkout, you will receive a message that says: "There are no shipping methods available for your cart or destination".
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- Handling Time
Our current handling time is 1-9 business days, although they can occasionally be longer. If you order with UPS 1 Day (which is STRONGLY recommended during the winter as well as summer), your package will almost certainly ship within 1-9 business days. The only exception would be if temperatures are too extreme to safely ship the animals out. The handling time for a UPS 2 Day order is variable based on outside temperatures, postal holidays, and the size of the order. During the summer and winter, UPS 2 Day orders as well as USPS orders may have significant delays (up to 60 days in severe cases) before we can ship them to you due to extreme temperatures. (we reserve the right to hold an order in extreme weather if we deem it is unsuitable to ship for the safety of the animals).
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- Final Note
Orders are shipped in our choice of boxes in order to custom fit each order so shipping rates can very pending on what exactly is ordered. UPS rates are based on size of package needed to ship an order, distance the package must travel, total weight of the package and which UPS shipping service is being used. We will also include heat packs or cooling packs with orders when temperatures warrant a heat pack or cooling pack to be included at no cost to you.
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In the event of any problems with your shipment, please CONTACT US via email at info@AquaticArts.com - We will be happy to help!
All orders come with our 100% Live Arrival Guarantee at no charge. You can read more about that HERE, on our Live Arrival Guarantee page.
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