As you can see from the photographs in this expel eggs. He then fertilizes the eggs, and places article, Macropodus spechti has a very distinctive them in a nest of bubbles that he has constructed at caudal fin. It is “forked” like that of M. opercularis, the water’s surface (or under a leaf or other but between the twin forked extensions are floating object). The male then stands guard under thread-like filaments, some of which are white. The his nest until the fry are free-swimming, after body of Macropodus spechti is uniformly colored, which the fry are on their own. Due to the lacking both the vertical banding of Macropodus vulnerability of their fry as a result of this lack of opercularis and parental care, an opercular spot. the black It is a very paradisefish, hardy fish, and and indeed most can tolerate a bubblenesting wide range of fishes, produce water conditions. hundreds of O n e e x amp l e eggs at each from my own spawning. The experience bubblenests of demonstrates this. M. spechti seem I had a large to be a bit more breeding group in compact than a 40 gallon tank. those of One day, I M. opercularis, discovered that but other than the heater stuck in that, the Female Macropodus spechti the “on” position breeding and and—well, I nest tending usually take a bath in cooler water than what was in behavior appears to be identical. that tank. Yes, there were a number of fatalities. I have often read that, while Macropodus More surprising was the number of fish that opercularis was the first tropical fish to be kept as survived, and later spawned. I have kept a pet in Europe and in the Western Hemisphere, its Macropodus opercularis in an outdoor tub in popularity waned due to its aggressive behavior. weather with temperatures from 90EF to 45EF, and In my experience, this “aggressive behavior” is I have no doubt overstated, and that Macropodus is usually a spechti are just as result of another hardy. fish straying too As is the close to a male case with guarding his Macropodus bubblenest. opercularis, For a long Macropodus time, it was spechti are assumed that anabantoids, b l a c k meaning that paradisefish adults rely come from the p r i ma r i l y o n former imperial atmospheric (and former oxygen, which national) capital they get by city of Hue in Male Macropodus spechti taking gulps of central Vietnam. air at the water’s surface, and storing it in an However, it has been discovered that wild maze-like structure (generally referred to as the Macropodus recently obtained from that area “labyrinth organ”) in their heads. Because of this, clearly differ from known varieties.8 So, while they can survive in stagnant and oxygen-poor water. there is general agreement that Macropodus Males are larger than females and have longer spechti is Southeast Asian, and most likely from fins. Adult females are smaller, wider, and have Vietnam, the exact origin of this species is still in shorter fins. Like other members of the genus doubt, as is the question of whether recently Macropodus, the black paradisefish, is a bubblenest discovered regional variations constitute even builder. The male M. spechti encircles the female to more new species.
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Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)