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Hello to all members of the project!
First let me introduce myself – my name is Stefanie, I’m 51 years old, I live in germany, at the river Rhine, in the area of Cologne/ Bonn.
Having read nearly everything on this website – and almost everything I was able to find about keeping Parosphromenus – I have set up my first Paro-tank a week ago – and unevitably have the first question now …
In one or two articles on keeping Parosphromenus it was strongly recommended to put a tight cover on the tank. As it was told, these fishes seem to find the tiniest hole or gap to get out of the tank.
On the other side I saw quite a few photos of tanks of experienced Parosphromenus-breeders with no cover at all.
I’m a bit confused – what is right: cover or no cover?
Thanks for your help!!
Kind regards,
StefanieI have kept four species without cover. I think your source has experience with other anabantoids, of wich quite a lot are good jumpers. As far as I know paros don’t jump.
I have also read it often, – some people who have paroes seem to have experience with them jumping, however I also never do anything to avoid it, and only once (in maybe 200 fish) have I found one dead on the floor, obviously it had jumped. But I never take particularly care of it, – I always have cover glas, but with holes for feeding, and at times I leave the glass half off, or all of.
As with all fish, of course I would never have an open tank if the water level is all the way up, – and I would recommend a cover glas also. But I dont experience parosphromenus as particularly in risk of jumping more than most other fish.
Stefanie, normally you don’t need a cover with Paros. In nature, they are fish living in greater depths than other anabantoids in flowing waters. Normally, you won’t therefore see them catching air; they never do this although their labyrinth is fully developed. You even could seclude the surface by a cover directly on the water surface, and the fish will live permanently in best health. You could never do this with any other anabantoid fish. They would drown within a few minutes.
And normally Paros don’t jump at all. This is quite different than with – say – Malpulutta kretseri; they are notourious jumpers, and other common anabantoids could be too. Paros are not, but: if they have no perfect conditions – water much too hard, pH much too high, many bacteria and germs in it – they come to the surface, catch air and – even may jump. Take as a rule: If fish jump that in nature don’t do that, it is because they feel somewhat uncomfortable. Something is wrong with the milieu you offered them If Paros find the right milieu, they don’t jump.
So I nevertheless recommend beginners to use a cover as Helene says: if you fill the tank nearly until its upper end. For you normally cannot provide best water conditions permanently. The structure of an aquarium is so different to a flowing rainforest stream that the germs will multiply although you try to prevent it. The plasticity of the fish’s organism will stand it nevertheless, and they will spawn and the young will grow, if things don’t get so bad than in the normal community tanks with fish fed by artificial dried food. Happily, we feed live food and Paros feed a little only. So things can’t get such bad. But it’s more difficult to keep their conditions in order than with “normal” ornamental fish.
I fill all my small 10-liter-tanks with water until a few millimeters from the upper end of the tank. They are all covered by a light plastic glass which is two millimeters thin, only. It’s very light indeed and unbreakable. You could buy it at “Obi” or another special market for home-workers. And it could be sewed or broken after having cut with a sharp knife. And you can bore or drill holes in it. It’s directly lying on the tank only two or three millimeters above the water surface. I have bored or drilled a ten millimeter hole in each of them very near to the front end so that I can feed the fish with a pipette through it without taking it away.
Paros are no fish for only keeping them for joy only; they don’t swin much around and in order to see their behaviour they must be bred.Thank you all for your advice!
Bartian – it were no publications on other anabantoids, I indeed read it in special publications on Parosphromenus. I know that many Betta species are very “jumpy”. My Badis species live in completely filled tanks without any covers – they don’t like to come close to the surface, not even to catch floating food – and I am sure they won’t jump. It’s more likely that sometimes a shrimp will jump out – the Red Cherries are the jumpiest.
But ok – I will put a lid on my new Paro-tank. As I don’t like to cut off the water surface from fresh air, I will cover a self-built frame with fly screen and put it on the tank.
Helene – I didn’t find any button to send you a PN, so everyone please excuse a short OT note :blush: :
The link to your homepage is corrupt, the URL is not right. Please replace http//:www. Then it should work. (It would be a pity to miss your website!!)
OT off
Thank you Stefanie, I have contacted support regarding this.
😉 I think we solved this … should be fine now, thanks again..
Badis normally don’t jump, but I once found my three B. juergenschmidti on the floor. Probably the water was too acidic. With bad water conditions every fish will jump, apparently. Since paros demand premium water this risk is higher, so be careful.
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