Paradise Tank Mates And Care

I'm stocking a friend's tank and planning to get a paradise fish for them and I would like some advice. The tank is 30 gallons, unheated and has slightly alkaline water. Temperature is usually around 68f I believe. Substrate is medium-large rounded gravel. No live plants just a few fake plants, 2 caves and a fake rock structure. Filtration is a large sponge filter. The owner of the tank doesn't know much about fish but I will be around to help.

Anyway, questions
1. Does anyone have any experience with paradise fish and aggression? Are they okay with ither fish and shrimp?
2. What tank mates would you recommend? (Edit: preferably not schooling fish)
3. Dose it matter why type of paradise fish we get? (Normal, round tailed or black)
4. Currently the planned stocking is this
1 paradise fish
5-7 male variatus platies or swordtails
3
1 snail
Any opinions on this stocking?

Here is a thread I did on this tank
30 Gallon Tank - Stocking 30 Gallon Coldwater

Thanks for any replies

 

1. Paradise fish are aggressive, but are sorta like bettas in that it varies. Most will happily live in a community, as long as no other fish nips at it. Shrimp, eh... Maybe. It depends on how small the shrimp are compared to the fish's mouth.

2. White Clouds, if you don't think they'd be nippy. Coldwater isn't my area, though, so I don't have any recommendations. Corys would enjoy the cool water, though, and wouldn't interfere with the paradise fish.

3. Not to my knowledge. I think they're all just varieties in the same species, like the different types of bettas.

4. I would be concerned that the livebearers are going to be a bit too cool at 68F. I've never heard of them being kept at anything under 74, so I'm not sure how they'd fare. At the very least, I'd expect an increase in disease vulnerability.

 

The normal/albino is Macropodus opercularis, the round tail is M. ocellatus, and the black is M. spechti. They are different species but I believe they have pretty similar care requirements. It just comes down to which one you like better.

 

The normal/albino is Macropodus opercularis, the round tail is M. ocellatus, and the black is M. spechti. They are different species but I believe they have pretty similar care requirements. It just comes down to which one you like better.

Thanks for the correction!

 

1. Paradise fish are aggressive, but are sorta like bettas in that it varies. Most will happily live in a community, as long as no other fish nips at it. Shrimp, eh... Maybe. It depends on how small the shrimp are compared to the fish's mouth.

2. White Clouds, if you don't think they'd be nippy. Coldwater isn't my area, though, so I don't have any recommendations. Corys would enjoy the cool water, though, and wouldn't interfere with the paradise fish.

3. Not to my knowledge. I think they're all just varieties in the same species, like the different types of bettas.

4. I would be concerned that the livebearers are going to be a bit too cool at 68F. I've never heard of them being kept at anything under 74, so I'm not sure how they'd fare. At the very least, I'd expect an increase in disease vulnerability.

I think white clouds would be ok. I had a school of them and they were never nippy. I thought about peppered cories but I don't think they'd like the gravel.

Normal paradise fish are macropodus opercularis, round tailed paradise fish are macropodus ocellatus and black paradise fish are macropodus spechtI I think.

Yeah I'm not too sure how the swordtails would do however I have kept and bred platies in unheated tanks. I think variatus platies are better at handling cooler temperatures than the normal platies.

Thanks for your response

Edit: chaoscorrupter beat me to It!

 

I think white clouds would be ok. I had a school of them and they were never nippy. I thought about peppered cories but I don't think they'd like the gravel.

Normal paradise fish are macropodus opercularis, round tailed paradise fish are macropodus ocellatus and black paradise fish are macropodus spechtI I think.

Yeah I'm not too sure how the swordtails would do however I have kept and bred platies in unheated tanks. I think variatus platies are better at handling cooler temperatures than the normal platies.

Thanks for your response

Edit: chaoscorrupter beat me to It!

Honestly, as long as the gravel isn't sharp, I don't think they'd have any issues with it. IME, corys don't really slide across the substrate, and they don't really dig much either. I don't think a smooth gravel would hurt.

 

Ok I'll look into getting some of them.

Are paradise fish relatively easy to feed?

 

The swordtails with their long tail could be nipped at by the paradise fish.

 

The swordtails with their long tail could be nipped at by the paradise fish.

Do you think female swordtails would work?

 

yeah

 

What about hillstream loaches? If you keep it well airated they might be a good bottom dweller.

 

What about hillstream loaches? If you keep it well airated they might be a good bottom dweller.

It is definitely well aerated - It has too many airstones for my liking- bit I don't think the sponge filter creates enough current for a hillstream loach.

 

I am going to offer my 2 cents...paradise fish are predatory. In my experience, fishes zebra danio sized and smaller will occasionally be hunted by paradise fish even if they don't fit in their mouths. Platy sized fishes should be safe, but shrimp would likely not be. You could get away with a pair or harem of paradise fish in that setup if you wanted. PS...try to teach your paradise fish to hand feed - it's REALLY easy to do, just hold some flakes underwater in your fingers near the PF and it will eventually figure it out.