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Encyclopedia / Gouramis & Bettas / Round-tailed paradise fish
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Round-tailed paradise fish

Macropodus ocellatus · Round-tailed paradise, Ocellated paradise fish, Chinese paradise fish

Territorial; males fight each other and can be rough with small fish.

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8 cmBody length, without tail ✓
10–22 °CTemperature ✓
6–7.5pH ✓
72 LSmallest tank ✓
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Not recommended
  • Round-tailed paradise fish needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Cardinal tetra is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (10–22 °C vs 23–29 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Round-tailed paradise fish needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Serpae tetra is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Round-tailed paradise fish needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while X-ray tetra is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (10–22 °C vs 24–28 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 21–22 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 21–22 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

152 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓5–20 dGH
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ✓Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?Top
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Territorial; males fight each other and can be rough with small fish. Keep as a single male with larger tankmates.

  • cool

Food

Flakes, frozen bloodworms, daphnia and small live foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are larger than females and have extended soft rays in the dorsal, anal and tail fins.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Bubble-nester · Moderate

Bubble-nester. The male builds a nest in floating plants and the female is usually tolerated; adults can stay together after spawning if the female has cover. Remove the adults once the fry swim freely. Soft water and a slight temperature rise help trigger spawning.

Pairing

Introduce a conditioned female to a male's nest tank; remove her after spawning.

Setup

40-60 L planted tank with floating plants; 20-24 C is fine.

What starts it

Cooler winter rest and warm spring conditions plus live food.

Eggs

Several hundred floating eggs per spawn; they hatch in about 3-4 days and the fry stay in the nest until the yolk is used up, then need infusoria-sized food for a few days.

Raising the fry

Infusoria then brine shrimp; the male guards the nest.

Common mistakes
  • Leaving the female after spawning
  • Heavy filter flow
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionEast Asia – China, Korea & southern Japan
HabitatPonds, rice fields and weedy ditches
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the round-tailed paradise fish

The round-tailed paradise fish comes from a huge range in China, Korea and Japan, living in ditches, rice paddies, marshes and backwaters where winter can freeze the surface. It has a rounded rather than forked tail, and usually does well in an unheated tank, even benefiting from a cool winter.

Danish-born naturalist Theodore Cantor described this paradise fish in 1842. It is one of the most cold-tolerant labyrinth fish and can live in unheated tanks.

First described by Theodore Cantor in 1842. Named for 'Ocellatus' refers to the eye-spot on its gill cover.

  • It survives cool winters in its native range.
  • Unlike the common paradise fish, its tail is rounded, not forked.
  • Males build bubble nests and guard the young.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources