Macropodus ocellatus keeper

[Hectorapin]

This is the Photos of the breeding :

The breeding season of Macropodus ocellaris in Taiwan happen in March to October. This is the mating picture of Macropodus ocellaris:
1.jpg

The male is making the bubbles nest for female before laying her eggs:
2.jpg

The male can mate 3 ~4 times a year:
3.jpg

The male fixing the bubble nest:
4.jpg

Picture of bubble nest from above:
5.jpg

[Hectorapin]

The mature female abdomen and belly is getting bigger and a little bit swollen
6.jpg

The male aggressively attack the female, but the female won't run away, the female just waiting for the male to mate
7.jpg

The female and male is scratching each other, the male will show his fin open widely as the female will stand right beside the male
8.jpg

The female and male is checking the bubble nest
9.jpg

The female and male is copulating "dancing" in the same time they also releasing the egg and sperm together.
10.jpg

[Hectorapin]

The fertilized eggs will float to the surface
15.jpg

The male will use his mouth,fin and body to stick the eggs into the bubbles
14.jpg

After all the eggs completely stick to the bubbles, the male will get ride the female and protect the eggs by himself
13.jpg

After two days the fertilized eggs will hatch
12.jpg

The Macropodus ocellatus larvae is hatching
11.jpg

[Hectorapin]

This is the tank picture of the Macropodus ocellatus that i used.

Size : 250cm x 80cmx 100cm










If you have another questions, you are most welcome ^^

Have a nice day
Alvin

[erich willems]

Hello Alvin,

i guessed what i see, because of this my guess also the question to see the photos .

I'm sorry to tell you, that you never kept Macropodus ocellatus (ROUND-tailed paradiesfish).
Instead you kept Macropodus opercularis (FORK-tailed paradiesfish), which is not the same species and yes indeed
the Macropodus opercularis(FORK) are to await to be an indigenous freshwater species in Taiwan. But their border is in the north the Jangtse, as i know.

I'm talking about an other species, the M.ocellatus(ROUND-Tail). The native region of this species goes up in the north to Korea and mongolia.
Both species are easy to distinct! The north - a coldwater species - has a clearly round tail like a Betta,
while yours shows a fork-tail.

So,
sorry but I'm interested in the M.ocellatus.

Nice day
Erich

[Hectorapin]

Dear Erich,

I see, i'm sorry to dissappoint you, if i have news about Macropodus ocellaris i'll tell you.
I'll remove the post than. Thank you for your time.

Have a nice day,
Alvin

[erich willems]

Hello Alvin,

nooo, you did not disappoint me.
It's just a fact that the fishes you keep are not from the species Macropodus ocellatus.
They are from the species Macropodus opercularis. And also M.opercularis is a nice and interesting fishes.
The pictures you gave are really nice also the fishes they show.

... if i have news about Macropodus ocellaris i'll tell you.
I'll remove the post than.

Again a little correction.
You write "Macropodus ocellaris". This is not an existing name of a macropodus species.
It's a mix out of: ocellatus - opercularis linked on the 'a' to ocellaris. You see?
So the correct names are:
1. Macropodus ocellatus (round tailed): lives from the Jangtse-Drainage up north to the southern Amur-Drainage
2. Macropodus opercularis(fork tailed): lives from the southern Jangtse-Drainage downwards into the south.
Your fishes are from the second species. Macropodus opercularis.

I don't think you should delete your post.
Why?
The picture documentation of the breeding behaviour of your Macropodus opercularis are really good, also the information you gave to the native origin of them in Taiwan and the fact of a dedicated breeding season are valuable informations.
Also, i think, a lot of people are confusing the first species with the second. So it could be a help to let your post and pictures within this thread.

So in this context I've a second question, but now about the species you keep.
You told that the M. opercularis in Taiwan hold a breeding season between March to October.
1. Do you know the water temperatures in the breeding season and what is the lowest water-temp at which they stay breeding in this time?
2. Very interesting to me would be: Do you know what M.opercularis is doing outside the breeding season in Taiwan. How do they live at this time, are they flocking, migrating, what are the conditions outside the breeding season: Watertemp((lowest,highest estimates) and the like. The places where you collected your fishes, hwo are they characterized what other animals were in the waters together with the M.opercularis, Plants, flowing water? very slow, medium ...
And as this all is allays interesting useful information. Am I allowed to use you information to make a Collection-Place-Description on my side referring you and your infos about M.opercularis (Fork-Tail)?

And again,
no you did not disappoint me, English is not my language ...

Nice evening
Erich

[Hectorapin]

Dear Erich,

Thank you for your information about the Macropodus ocellatus, i checked it yesterday and i found out that actually it's a different species, and for the truth Macropodus ocellatus has a unique shape and look. I kind of like it too!!
The water temperature from march to october is different, from March to October the water temperature around 23-32 degrees Celcius, the lowest temperature around 23-24 degrees Celcius for them to breed. They can survive the winter here, the temperature is around 16 degrees Celcius, belom than that they will die, but usually i put a heater inside the tank, at least to make the temperature higher than 20 degrees Celcius. They are living in a rice field, rivers, sewers, and they are hiding below water plants, usually the juvenilles will flock, but the adult will make their own teritory, cause it's a rice field and rivers so the water is flowing, there's only a slow water current actually.
Yes you can use my information, but please don't forget to put my name on it too. ^^"

Have a nice day
Koty

[erich willems]

Hello Alvin?/Koty?

but please don't forget to put my name on it too

Naturally i would do it, as writte in my post.
But if i shall put your real name into the ref, what is it? "* Alvin *", "* Koty *", ...?
Otherwise i would use your forum-name "Hectorapin". Also i allways but in a link to the forum-entry or articel i reffer to.

They can survive the winter here, the temperature is around 16 degrees Celcius, belom than that they will die, but usually i put a heater inside the tanky

If you say below a water temperature of 16°C they (M.opercularis "taiwan") will die, is this out of your experience in the rivers and rice-fields? Or is it an estimation?

You say "but the adult will make their own teritory".
Do they so also outside the breeding season. So could you see them in the rivers and rice-fields in the "winter"-season holding their territories?
In very could "winter"-seasons did you find died M.opercularis in your regions in the rice fields or sewers..?

Nice day
Erich

[Hectorapin]

Dear erich,

Just put my full name Alvin Koty, i think that will be better cause i sometimes also publish some article on internet using this name.
This is my experience, 3 years ago there's a cold wind storm in Taiwan, the water temperature at that time was decreasing very rapidly, i measure the temperature of the water at that time, the water temperature was below 16 degress Celcius, at that time there's a lot of opercularis dead bodies on the river bank and near the sewers. They also breed on the nature, we can see the adults is hiding under the water plants with wide-open fin protecting their bubble nest. Next time i'll take the picture of it for some references.

Have a nice day
Koty

[joanna wright]

hi. im in the uk, and have been looking for these fish for years. i would be very intrested in purching a pair or two, if im able. once the wethers better to send them in. ive looked evreywhere there have been a ghost of a whisper of some fr sale, but i never find them. i would be very gratfull if you could. thankyou very much, jo.

[erich willems]

Hello Joanna,

im in the uk, and have been looking for these fish for years....

You will find my homepage about these fishes at:
http://erabo.de/aqua/?q=Macropodus/ocellatus.

Actually, it's clear they are in winter-mode in the ponds,
but if you contact me at the end of the sommer you can get some i think, if they play the role of child-producing successfull enough.
Do you know how to keep them?

At this time we also should find out how to manage to get them to you.

Nice day,
Erich

[joanna wright]

hi, yes, i know in theroy how to keep them. i would be very gratfull if you do have some to send me. i can pay you fr the fish and postage by paypal if you have any at the end of summer. i dnt know much about what postage options yu have avalible to you, but im sure there must be something avalible.

[erich willems]

They need cold overwintering at best 10°C and less, Joanna...
We will find a way of postage and sending i think.
So, contact me again at summer's end.