Hi, my name is Val. I just bred a pair of blue paradise fish for the first time. It has been successful so far. Today he had a huge nest in the top of the tank. They're in a 7 gallon tank with 2 ottocinclis. They copulated many times this evening & she released hundreds of eggs. They BOTH then gathered them up & took them to the nest. I imagine he'll chase her away when the work is done & will guard the nest from her. We should see little ones in about 24-48 hours. Short incubaiton period. I'm super excited as this is my first dealing with paradises. I have video footage of the process over the last week. It's awesome...the local pet store has offered to hire me as their new paradise fish supplier if it's successful. Keep your fingers crossed & thanks for letting me share. Peace out...

Congrats and good luck! My paradise fish make nests all the time but I have only actually seen eggs once. They are the smallest fish eggs I've seen. I gathered some up (this was about a month ago) and took them out. By the next morning, those that I left were all eaten. Four babies hatched from about 50 eggs I had. They hatched in just a few days (the shortest I'd ever seen!) and didn't look anything like fish. Only one survived past a week and is now getting pretty big in a net breeder. He's already eating adult food in small pieces. I first fed him liquifry.

I hope your adult paradise fish don't eat the eggs or fry when they hatch. Mine always do. If you need/want a web site to put up photos, short video, or info, I'd be happy to link it to my site or put it on my server.

Hi Robyn...the babies hatched yesterday & there are probably about 200 of them. The mom (Eden) is in her own tank now & Pari (dad) is guearding them with his life. When they move from the nest he takes them in his mouth & spits them back into it. He's so obsessed w/the nest that he's not eating. I figure when he starts ignoring or eating them that'll be the time to move him in with mom. I'll see what I can do about sending you some video or pics. It's awesome. Thanks for your support. They are SO tiny. All I could see at first were their little tails hanging down from the nest. They looked like tiny clear tadpoles. Now you can see their eyes & they're about 33 hours old. I'll keep you posted on their progress.

Sounds great. Yeah, my baby paradise I got last month was the tiniest fish I've ever seen but he or she is growing fast and will be out of the net breeder in just a few more weeks! The little guy has all his/her stripes and acts just like the parents. My adults ate all the eggs, most likely since I have 3 of them in a 5 gallon. The baby will stay in the 20 gallon without other paradise fish (and hopefully stay out of trouble!). The male is supposed to protect the fry at first but I didn't get to see that. I'm glad your daddy is being good. 200 is a lot of babies!

My baby paridise fish are doing well...about 25% of them surviced. The crazy thing is momma's pregnant again & poppa has another nest going!!! Geez they're worse than guppies! The babies are in a 5 gallon tank & parents are int he 7 gallon. He obsessed over the nest to the point that he didn't eat so I'm thinking I may scoop the nest out after the eggs are laid. I'm feeding the babies Liqui-Fry II & they're just swimming all over the place. this is really really cool. I'm going to burn a DVD of the vidoe I took & copywrite it. That way I may be able to make a small business out of breeding & selling them to local petstores. SO fat it's been very sucessful as far as the breeding goes. I wonder how long it takes them to get about an inch long.

If you don't try to protect the fry, they probably will all get eaten. My baby is about half an inch long at about a month old. My guess is that it would take 3+ months to get an inch long.

My plan is to try & take the nest out w/the eggs in it & put it in w/the other fry. That way I'm not moving all the fish around & the fry I have now are too small to eat their new sibs. It's too much to try & separate mom & dad & babies all at once. I'll try it this way & see what happens. Thanx for the info & I'll let you know what happens. The eggs will be in a tank where they won't get eaten. the fry I have aren't even a week old. They sure are tiny.

They're at it again...as I write she is laying more & more eggs. I'm looking at about a week apart between batches. Geez this is nuts! They ARE worse than guppies. It's been a very educational experience, especially for my kids ages 9 & 6. They have a 10-gallon tank w/11 assorted tetras, 2 dwarf frogs & a common pleco. They have sat up wVal& watched a guppy give birth to up to 17 babies at once at 10 pm. They have 3 glowlites, 2 blacks, 4 white clouds & 2 cardinals. So they're just as addicted to fish as I am. I'll et you know how this 2nd batch works out. See you in a couple days!

The 2nd nest made it okay...I haven't scooped it out, I'm going to wait & see what happens if I leave it in w/both parents. I've heard that they will both raise the babies. We'll see. I'm gonna be overrrun with fish if this keeps up lol. I guess I got more than I bargained for. There aren't as many eggs though so they may not have been ready. He doesn't seem as obsessed w/the nest & the eggs are a milky color so I guess that they may not be viable. We'll see what happens. Have a good one :)

The babies should be hatching today. Eden AND Pari are tending the nest. She helps put eggs that fall back in but he still chases her off about 70% of the time. What am I going to do with all these fish? I wonder if I can sell all the fry from one batch for about $50. That would support my fish habit lol.

If you have room to grow them out in other tanks, then you can sell them. If you can't handle all the babies, do nothing, and the parents will eventually turn on their babies although they sound like very good parents.

Mom & Dad destroyed the nest overnight but it looks as if he's building another one. The eggs got all fuzzy so I vacuumed them all out & assumed the were dead. He's being ratehr aggressive toward her. The babies in the lower tank are doing well alothough it looks like a few have expired. But with that many fry it was bound to happen. Have a good day.

Well it's been about 3 or so weeks & all the babies have died. I'll try again. This time I'm putting Pari & Eden in the baby tank & letting them do their thing there. Then when they're done I'll put her back in their tank & keep him w/the fry for a time. Then when he's done playing house I'll put him in the other tank w/momma. This is quite an experience & I've made a DVD of it. It's a trip. Have a good day!

thats sad about the babies. I need to see that dvd!:)

They just bred ahgain however Pari had no nest built & the eggs have all turned opaque & fuzzy again. They breed like guppies (or worse!) but he seems very ho-hum about a nest. He tried to keep all the eggs togetehr (he's a good father) but to no avail. I need to clean that tank & put Eden back in & see if he'll build again. Thanx for your sympathy & I'll try to include the pics of the mating process. It's a trip.

How many baby paradise fish survived.

Unfortunately none. I'm going to toy with another idea. I'm going to get a bgger tank & see if I can't somehow keep all the fish in it. The nest gets destriyed sometimes when I take Eden out & then Pari has to rebuild & sometimes it's not successful. I also think the first time I took him out of the baby tank too early. I may have to get a tank w/a divider. Wish me luck...I want this to succeed. <_<

How big will the tank be? Are you planning on putting the paradise fish in with your fish from the 10 gallon?

Lol there's no way I'm putting the paradise in w/a buynch of fish 1/4 their size. I got a 20 gallon at Gooodwill yesterday (FULL setup w/stand) for $11. I set it up & when I dumped the water from the paradise tanks in it there were a bunch of babies. I think some eggs were viable & they have been hatching. However Pari hadn't even had a nest built so I'm rather surprised. I have the babies in the 20-gallon in a net breeder as I catch them so Eden doesn't get any between-meal snacks if ya know hat I mean. W/o a nest for protection they need something. It's been an adventure. Parti is acting depressed but as soon as I get some "grass" in ther ehe may perk up & build again. Also Eden is being very aggressive to him & he's running away. She seems to love the bigger tank (probably the biggest they've ever been in) but he hangs on the bottom alot. He tries to protect the babies that I haven't been able to catch yet but she's like a shark. She's hanging under the net breeder in hopes of a small morsel I think. But a complete 20-gallon setup w/stand for only $11! What a deal!!!!

thats a great deal. just make sure that it is built for holding water. I hope you let the tank sit for a few days before ading the fish!

I put them in a couple hrs after setup & they're doing fine. Pari's perked up & Eden's colors have become brilliant (almost as pretty as his). I also got some breeding grass along w/a real net breeder. So everyone seems to be doing well & I've counted over 50 babies. These were from eggs I thought were dead. I think Pari's depression stemmed from no nest in the other tank & I don't think he realized there were babies. He sees them now & seems better.

thats great that your fish are doing well in your new tank.

It's day 4 in the 20-gal & the paradise are doing fine. They're playing & chasing each other around. The lady at Scamps said to give Pari about a week to pull out of what she thinks is like post-partum depression. He has seen the babies in the net breeder & is trying to protect it from her, however he still spends more time on the bottom than usual. He's eating & swimming more though so I'm happy. When he's better I may add another pair. I don't know yet. :rolleyes:

i dont think you should add another male to your tank. i think you should add another female when the tank is done cycling.

If your aim is to breed them and get more babies, the fewer fish you have in there, the more luck you should have. If there are two males, they may spend time fighting. I have a pair and their adult son in a 5 gallon tank for over a year now and have only seen one spawning attempt (resulting in my one baby now in my 20 gallon tank; he/she rules the tank already). They bicker a lot but don't really hurt each other. If you add just another female, it may also reduce breeding success if the father has to keep two girls from eating his babies.

yah i guess he should just keep it the way it is.

I think y'all are right. Pari is actively protecting the net breeder & has got all his color & his aggression back. He's almost acting as though he's ready to spawn again as well. I just love these crazy fish. Still have quite a few fry in the net breeder & am feeding them Liquifry #1. Pari & Eden are now eating cichlid pellets. Talk about voracious appetites!! I have a ramshorn in w/them & they all seem at peace (as peaceful as can be expected). Thanx for your input & I'll keep you posted on the success of the breeding. ;)

good luck!!

Pari is back on the up & up. He's got a huge nest going next to the breeding grass. He's not eating much but he never does when he's building. I'd sure love to get some pics on here, they're very big & very beautiful. Tommy I just want to say you're one of the nicest people I've had the privilege of posting with. You seem interested in this venture I'm undertaking & none of your remarks have been snide or unkind. I hope we can share our fish pics soon. Have a good one!

Thats great news! Good luck and have fun :) . We need to share pics!

I sent Robyn my pics & she can get then posted when she gets time. She's very busy I imagine. Have a good day!

Eden died today. I'd had her 3 months. She was swimming around like normal this morning & when I checked on her a while ago she was dead. She was in the roots of the live plants I was floating & must have gotten stuck. Maybe she couldn't get out to get to the top & get air. Pari is beside himself & looking for her. Last night & this morning her was gently playing with her & she was pregnant. I'll have to mourn for a few days as will Pari. He adored her. I'll get another girl but not today.

im sorry about eden val :( . She may have died from pregnancy or low oxygen levels or something. You may want to have an airetor installed.

Was told she probably got tangled in the philodendron roots & couldn't get up to get air & "drowned". I have an aerator in the tank so oxygen wasn't an issue. Thanx for the idea though :)

thats weord how they can drown. I thought that they only breathed when water is low.

Anabantoids do need to gulp air on occasion, or they don't make it. That's one reason that newborn labyrinth fish should be kept in shallow water so they can make it to the surface. They can survive without getting to the surface for a long time, probably hours but not indefinitely.

There's plenty of oxygen in the water as I have an aerator & live plants. It was just a fluke think I guess. The new girls are doing well...he's not bothering them & they follow him around like lost puppes. They're picking at teach other but he's not even touching them. When he does he's very gentle. He just leans up against them & gently nudges. They're the same color as he is (unlike Eden) & the tank shimmers w/their opalescent glare. It's a very calm scene in there. I doubt they're r ady to breed as I agree w/Robyn there. They're probably 6 mo old & they're about 1/3 his size.

be careful of pari around the new girls.

It's 6:03 am Pacific time here & Pari built a rather large nest overnight. The girls are hanging around him alot & he's chasing them. When he gets within an inch of them they lie on their sides in submission. They're coming too close to the nest & he's not done with it. That's how the breeding process goes. They may not be ready but he is. This is the first nest he's built in a couple weeks that he hasn't torn up right away. It's also chock-full of fluffy bubbles so it's the real thing. I'll definitely keep a close eye on all of them to make sure he's not harming them...so far he seems to be very gentle & just telling them to back off.

I caught Pari last nite trying to get Eve to lay eggs in his nest. He's still building on it his morning & she seems non the worse for wear. I'm thinking the girls are about 6 months old. They like to "flirt" w/him though. They all seem to be digging the roots of the philo as well. I'm thinking that may give the fry plenty of cover & I don't have to worry about traumatizing them w/the move from tyank to net breeder. We'll have to see.