Paradise fish
| Paradise fish | |
|---|---|
| Macropodus opercularis male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Actinopterygii | 
| Order: | Anabantiformes | 
| Family: | Osphronemidae | 
| Genus: | Macropodus | 
| Species: | M. opercularis | 
| Binomial name | |
| Macropodus opercularis | |
| Synonyms | |
The fork tailed paradisefish (often just called paradise fish, paradise-fish, paradisefish), or paradise gourami (Macropodus opercularis) is a species of gourami found in most types of fresh water in East Asia, ranging from the China to northern Vietnam. This species can reach a standard length of 6.7 cm (2+5⁄8 in), though most are only about 5.5 cm (2+3⁄16 in). Paradise gouramis was the second Chinese ornamental fish introduced to the West after the Goldfish, and the first freshwater tropical fish successfully bred in captivity in Europe, having been imported 1869 to France by the French aquarium fish importer Pierre Carbonnier in Paris. The paradise fish is one of the more aggressive members of its family. It is more aggressive than the three spot gourami, yet less pugnacious in nature than the less commonly kept combtail.