Multiple male blue paradisefish cannot be kept in the same tank without violence ensuing two males housed together will typically fight to the death. While paradisefish can survive in warmer waters, this state is unnatural to the fish’s native habitat and not recommended. Preferring to live at a crisp 61° to 72☏, the paradisefish does not mix well with species requiring warmer waters. Paradisefish require cooler temperatures than most tropicals. The paradisefish is a much faster swimmer than the betta and much more prone to jumping both vegetative cover and a close-fitting lid on the aquarium are absolutely necessary. Thus, mixing paradisefish and a betta would almost certainly result in a mortal conflict between the two. This top-level swimmer is, like the betta, highly territorial and particularly hostile toward other species with similar coloration or elaborate finnage. Native to the cool waters of Asia, the blue paradisefish has been a staple of the aquarium hobby since the late 1800s. Another species that has been cultivated for coloration, the blue paradisefish’s natural form is greenish gray with bands of orange to rust. Variegated bands of lighter and darker blues also adorn the fins. Particularly handsome specimens wear a basal coat of silvery blue highlighted with vertical bands of deeper, shinier metallic azure. You’ll have no reason to be singin’ the blues when you go looking to add a splash of sapphire to your home aquarium.Ī good way to categorize the blue fish is by where they spend their time in the water column: the top, middle, or bottom level.īesides the usual bettas that come in myriad colors, another top-level species is the paradisefish ( Macropodus opercularis). There are bettas wearing metallic coats of glistening blue, gouramis with scales shimmering in smoky, cerulean hues, and members of the family Poeciliidae with fins coming alive in a virtual electrical storm of radiant blues. Some of the blues now on the market are spectacular! More blue species are farmed and imported every year, and more designer cultivars of blue species are hitting the pet trade. The good news here is that there are more blue fish available for the freshwater community tank than ever before. That hunk of glass was the centerpiece of my tank because it was absolutely my favorite color. Almost as mesmerizing to me as the fish themselves was the way the aquarium’s fluorescent light played off the smooth yet inconsistent surface of that cobaltine ornament.

Under the bright lights of my tank, that piece of glass shimmered with sapphire, crystalline fire. Sometimes the only blue in an aquarium is the water, but one lifelong hobbyist suggests that this color should play a greater role in the tank and offers a list of the best blue fish for your aquarium.Īs I described in a previous article, my first tank had a hunk of blue glass marbled with veins of white. Adding Color to the Freshwater Aquarium: Singin' the Blues

Blue tetra