1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful and shy; needs a calm tank with plenty of cover.
295 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful and shy; needs a calm tank with plenty of cover.
Small live foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are larger and more colourful than females and grow extended pelvic and unpaired fins.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Bubble-nester · Hard
Secretive bubble-nester. The male builds the nest under an overhang or in a cavity (a half coconut or flowerpot in the aquarium), or under leaves or roots. The female carries the eggs to the nest; afterwards she is driven off and the male guards eggs and fry.
A conditioned pair in a quiet tank.
40 L planted tank with leaf-litter and floating plants, soft water.
Live foods and a warm water change.
About 100-200 whitish eggs laid in batches over 1-12 hours; they hatch in about 2 days (48-60 hours). Fry need microscopic food for 3-5 days, then Artemia nauplii or microworm, and are independent about a week after spawning.
Infusoria then baby brine shrimp.
A slender, long-finned labyrinth fish found only in shaded forest streams of Sri Lanka's south-western wet zone, where most of the original rainforest has been cleared. It is listed as Endangered, is protected by law in Sri Lanka, and still turns up in the trade only occasionally.
Sri Lankan zoologist P. E. P. Deraniyagala described this small gourami in 1937. It is a rare, secretive fish endemic to Sri Lanka's wet zone.
First described by P. E. P. Deraniyagala in 1937.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name; the only species in Malpulutta ('M. kretseri minor' is an unavailable infrasubspecific name). Also called ornate or Kretser's paradisefish. IUCN Red List: Endangered (EN B2ab(iii), assessed 7 August 2019, per FishBase); protected by law in Sri Lanka (Seriously Fish).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Malpulutta species · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Malpulutta speciesSeriously Fish 5.0 cm SL is the larger figure and is used; FishBase 4.0 cm TL (Pethiyagoda 1991). Legacy 7 cm is above both, though males' fin extensions add length.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summarySeriously Fish (preferred) 23-26 (shaded forest streams, relatively cool); FishBase 24-28. Legacy 22-28.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summaryLegacy range lies inside both sources.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summaryLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summary40 x 20 cm base x 20 cm height = 16,000 cm³ = 16 L (Seriously Fish lists ~16 litres) for one pair. Legacy 80 L is far more than the stated minimum.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseriNo group size given; Seriously Fish sizes the tank for a single pair.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseriFishBase (Pethiyagoda 1991) says it stays near the bottom (habitat 'demersal'); legacy 'm' (middle).
FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summarySeriously Fish rates it Easy (5 of 8 measures), but it needs live foods and should ideally be kept on its own for breeding. Legacy 3 (difficult).
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseriLegacy has no range field (story says Sri Lanka forest streams, correct).
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summaryLegacy (males with extended fin rays, females shorter-finned) agrees.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseriLegacy text agrees. Free-swimming fry may be eaten by the parents, so separate them.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summaryLegacy 50-150 eggs is lower than FishBase's 100-200.
FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summary · Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseriLegacy facts verified; legal protection and IUCN status added.
Seriously Fish: Malpulutta kretseri · FishBase: Malpulutta kretseri summary