Let's see those Paratilapia: largespot & smallspot!

[WckedMidas]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/wckedmidas/march16th015.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/num1stoner/april6th2005031.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/num1stoner/april6th2005030.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/num1stoner/april6th2005029.jpg
ive got two of them but there so hard to get good pics of with my camera. you just dont understand.
i got them both maybe 4 or 5 months ago. at like inch and inch and a half . smaller one was beat to **** and needed his own q tank for a month or so. I had the bigger one grow out with my my fish some in the 65 gal. but he turned to dam mean on me and was beating everything up. At like 3 and a half inchs i moved him to my 150 and prayed he would hold his own and not get ate. i still have him and hes still no punk. hes the second smallest fish in the tank right nowand aprox 5 inchs long give or take a half inch. The smaller one i have is still in my 65 gal . he was running stuff for a while there till my smallest jag started getting some size to him. and i added a luckystar fh to the tank. the lucky star is without a doubt smaller then the polleni and hes is able to mae the polleni run i cant beleve it .


Yea ino i suck at spelling and my grammer if u cant read it just look at the pics. But then again if u cant read it then you wont see this here HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH :hitting:

[piranha45]

wish my LFSes sold tilapia... how big do polleni males get? are they sexually dimorphic?

[WckedMidas]

30 cm for males.
heres a good article on the difrences of the polleni bleeker and polleni sp
http://www.cichlidae.com/articles/a117.php

[WckedMidas]

mine are males or so im told. look the the botton whats it called dorsal fin? Shape of it determins sex so im told on the site i posted they show difrences i beleve

[Richie]

Are these guys aggressive at all?

Thanks

[Honda12]

Those are some nice looking fish.

[Taz2478]

1 shop got 3 polleni but i dont have the space. they get about a ft or so. and as most fish, aggression is per fish.

[david b]

goood luckwith the polleni, :thumbsup: its always a tuff adding new fish

[dangitseric]

looks very nice

[Miles]

I love these fish :)

[repair]

Here are some of mine.

[jlewis70]

I HAD A SMALL SPOT IT WAS REAL SWEAT BLACK WITH LITTLE BLUE SPOTS. BUT IT WAS ALLWAYS SO TIMID. IT DIED JUST YESTERDAY NIGHT. THAT SUCKED!

[cichlid savage]

I only have 1 Polleni but here he is. This is from when i frist brought him home about 3 weeks ago he's a lil bigger now.

[Carg R]

Any temperment differences between Paratilapia polleni small spot and the large spotted bleekeri?

There's a few web articles I've found, but I currently dont have access to any books or people who've kept polleni.

Those who've kept these for extented period, can you throw your two-cents in and fill me in on some "normal behaviors".

[Rass]

I have an 11-12" Bleekeri, it is an incredibly beautiful fish. Much nicer than large Polleni's IME. It is extremely aggressive at feeding time. I have pretty good reason to believe that this fish came from the wild. First off the LFS got him at a large size which is unusual for them. He went on a hunger strike for 2 months after I brought him home and came down with a massive case of ich. After much effort I finally got him to take earthworms and now he loves them, but to this day it is pretty much all he will even consider eating. I have had him for over a year and he has grown and become an even nicer looking fish. Although he is housed alone he doesn't seem to show any aggression towards small fish. I have tried feeders a couple of times in the past year, all of which lived for months in the tank with him. This made me wonder if they eat many fish in the wild, and do to the lack of aggression I decided to try adding another fish. The store I work at had a 4" T. Buttikoferi that I picked up for $6. I figured the size difference and his tollerence of smaller fish may help this work. The Butti has been in with him for a week and is becoming bold enough to come out into the open water. The Bleekeri followed him around for a couple minutes but seems to not care about the other fish.:thumbsup: You can tell the Butti is really freaked out but is becoming more comfortable already, but can you blame him?:ROFL:

[jlewis70]

mine had some blue spots on it and it was a small spot, it was too timid! its dead now it was killed by my butti!

[wannaarro]

Brought my T. polleni home when it was around 1.5". Kept it alone in qt and to see what kinds of behaviors it displayed. I had to research alot, since the store (good local lfs) sold it as a "spangled cichild, or maybe a sev" went back to ask more knowledgeable manager--said "polanyi" from a breeder in Florida. I knew it wasn't a sev, but obviously an interesting cichlid. Quickly discovered it was a T. polleni, and I was stoked!! I like having unusual things in my life.
As it grew I observed the HUGE mouth on it, compared to my mbuna and peacocks. Comparable only to the Ghost. Shifted it to a 10g, still alone--if it has a maw that big, it can eat others. However, it has always been skittish, and has taken a while to get used to and trust me.
When I switched my tanks around to accomodate planned growth last week, I put it in with a same-sized Turq Sev (@5") and 6" Ghost, and a few cories (the 2 emeralds seem ideal).
"The Black" gets run off by the Sev and the Ghost, and just shows average interest in the cories. Loves bloodworms, couple diff. kinds of sinking granules, and some of the floating pellets, as well as Omega One flakes. Not a picky eater, even when alone.
Just waiting to figure out gender, and get it to show black more. Otherwise, I'd share pix. It's mostly sandy colored majority of the day.

This is a shot (very poor) of soon after he came home--poor scared tattered little thing. . .sorry it's so bad. . . esp for being an artist--but photography has never been my strong point.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/rosita417/polleni/mfkmarakely.jpg

[mightykoreanboy]

heres mine!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/oayl/DSC02165.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/oayl/DSC01480.jpg

[Ash]

Wish I had a camera to get mine in color, I lost most of my pics but I got a few when I first got them home - not much color though because they were really stressed. They are bleekeri (yes they are bleekeri there spots are much bigger then polleni even if you cant tell in the pics and they are not uniformed like pollenis are) I love them cuse they are heavily spotted =) I had one male and I have one female, but sold the male becuase he was to agressive and killed everything else. I still have the female and she is BEAUTIFUL very velvety black with nice blueish spots. If I can get a digi came I try to take new pics. Here are the old ones:

[Esco]

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1374/931191151origgl0.jpg
heres mine, 6" i thought it was a bleekri but a freind noted that it was a polleni, his name's Bruce.

[Carg R]

I've had this one for about 4-5 months and based on his pointed fins and genitalia (more pointed) I think it's a HE.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Carg23/pollmalecrp2101906.jpg

I just bought this one for $14.99 yesterday and based on genitalia (blunted) and rounded fins I think it's a SHE!!!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Carg23/pollfemale2101906.jpg
same female, just showing size in comparison to my hand. Very responsive fish.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Carg23/pollfemalefing101906.jpg

[k98]

for your concern polleni=bleekeri!

bleekeri are in the north of madagascar and they have larger spot but they are the same fish,its just a varient.so polleni is the only valid name.

[Oddball]

Here's one of my large-spot Paratilapia. They're just starting to get the classic body shape at close to 7".

[K C]

Nice Andapa, Oddball.

[Carg R]

for your concern polleni=bleekeri!

bleekeri are in the north of madagascar and they have larger spot but they are the same fish,its just a varient.so polleni is the only valid name.


I'm not an importer, nor an scientist (just a thinker). I was under the impression that paratilapia polleni and paratilapia bleekeri were taxonomically different (ie seperate species under the same genus). If you have any specific articles or information to support polleni and bleekeri being one species, please let me know.

Here are three sites and article which state the two are seperate species.

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/paratilapia_polleni.html

http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=97

http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=117

[k98]

http://burnel.club.fr/cent_fiches.htm

hope you know french and philipe burnel(a verry trustable person)and you have to know your article on your link are old;)

[Carg R]

Well since my french is non-existent...could you find English (oder Deutsch) sources about polleni and bleekeri?

[Ash]

As far as I know polleni and bleekeri are seperate species. There has been many arguments and documents I ve read trying to figure it out leading to articles that will say they are and are not. As I know it to be right now they are still considered seprate spieces. Reading up on both fish, although they may seem similar in some ways they are also very different. Also if memeory serves me correctly it was just a few years ago they changed the names of these fish from polleni and bleekeri to "sp. small spot" and "sp. large spot" =)

If I can find a more recent article to post up I will, but I dont have the time to look for one right now, cuse I got work in a little.

[Oddball]

Was shooting the gulper cat when I looked over and saw my Paratilapia giving me his best profile. So, I shot him before he could change his mind.

[OneFishTwoFish]

Well, I like the name Bleekeri so that's what I call mine. :) Dont know if it's a male or female but I got 'em about 6 months ago @1.5" and is now about 6"...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/Spoolie/Bleekeri1.jpg

[rahne]

I love my Polleni I think its female because she is very shy. Not aggressive at all. I have her in a 55 gallon with a Black Calvus and 2 syno cats.


No pics. I have a black fish in a tank with a black ground how dumb!

[cichlidfinder]

I found this guy last week.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/cichlidfinder/polleniinternetsize.jpg

[t-han]

http://www.pbase.com/than/thans_gallery

[ben&debbie]

Love these fish, You all have some gorgeous ones. we currently have two ~5 inches, they have not grown much since we got them in January. We had bought three but returned one, it was dark and had very few spots. The first pic is of the one we got rid of, the next 5 are the dominant one (male?) and then the bottom ones are the submissive one

[shrimpsauce]

i have some pretty bad (and damn old) pics of a female 'big spot' i had years ago.
it got to 10" in 3-4 years. not the fastest growing cichlid. never successfully spawned, couldnt find males big enough.

[ciclasoman]

Greetings:
I have been lucky to have breed this amazing fish- The first picture you'll see is my 8 inch male and then its 6 inch male offspring. Lastly, my originl mated pair-female was victim to the rough love of the then larger male. Best is to pair them when young around 3 inches, specially if the male is a little smaller, once too large the male typically will become very aggressive and kill the female if not enough swimming and hiding places prvided.

[K C]

Here's my large spot

[aquaticdesignsp]

All but 3 of the 40+ were donated to our Perpetuate the Species Project by a fellow monster keeper. The stories of my male and female are posted in Cichlid forum, but here's some up-to-date video of my Polleni colony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOv0U38g-_w

Video of my 10 in. male.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PgkPGAvues

I'm glad to see so many people contributing to the continued success of this struggling species.

[Bderick67]

Here are some pics of mine, just took themthis morning. He is about 8".

[wannaarro]

I found this guy all tattered up at a lfs, around 2" and labeled "Spangled Cichlid." He's @ 8" now, king of the tank, getting ready to put him in a 125g W.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/rosita417/polleni/blackjack2.jpg

[wannaarro]

Found another shot of my guy; he's really awesome.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/rosita417/polleni/blackjack1.jpg

[Miles]

Heres a few pics of mine.. I think I have a female and a male.. but introducing them in the 375g tonight was unsuccesful.

I am going to try the divider method in a 120 wide, but I need to sell this GT first..

[ewok]

miles - that first fish is spectacular! tons of spots on that bad boy!

[fishpost]

Here is a shot that I like.

[mbunafishkeeper]

very nice!

[ewok]

i notice mine gets a yellowish tinge on his forehead when he's feeling aggressive. anyone else notice the same thing?

[ewok]

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u263/tienyeo/polleni.jpg

my original one. i picked up two more today. hoping to get a pair. they really go after each other!

[baracuda]

Hey bro. Nice pickup! Did you end up going back to tikis?

[ewok]

hey bro, this was the paratilapia i had from a few months back. bought it around 3" from tong's in LA.
i DID go back to tiki's this afternoon and picked up another two and hopefully there will be a pair. they were beating the crap out of each other but things have finally settled down somewhat.

[baracuda]

Nice bro. Good to hear that they calmed down a little. Good luck with them!

[lostnight]

Here's mine, I have him in with some Caquetaia spetabilis and a Xingu(orangepike). The Poleni is the largest, around 5.5 inches,and rules the tank.


http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n174/lostnight/cichlids/pol12-07003.jpg

[ewurm]

Nice fish! I just got my first Bleekeri

[lostnight]

cool, I love the bleeks, post some pics once it colors up

[cichlid savage]

here's my guy from page 2 today!

[lostnight]

good looking,strong looking too

[angelmouse]

Hi new here, this is my pair and the fry they gave me for christmas
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/angelmouse19/PICT0987.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/angelmouse19/fish125.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/angelmouse19/pollenieggsday3006.jpg
regards Angel

[wannaarro]

Really nice, Angel. Welcome to MFK!! Good luck with the fry; please keep us posted with pix as they grow!!!!!!!!!!

[cichlidfinder]

You have a quality pair. I love the pic with the egg cluster.

I took this the other day and thought I would share.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/cichlidfinder/polleniinternet.jpg

[ksfishguy]

Here's my guy:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa89/ksfishguy/100_5274.jpg

Are your's owner responsive? Mine goes nuts when I walk in the room.

[Saggitae]

I have about 20!!! Gorgeous fish.</p> http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff173/1cichlid1/fish009.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff173/1cichlid1/silver023.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff173/1cichlid1/SD530017.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff173/1cichlid1/ppollenifianarantsoa3.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff173/1cichlid1/ppollenifianarantsoa2.jpg

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

this picture is about 2 months old
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e291/rubentolon/tank004.jpg

[FishRfine]

I cant find any pics, but paratilapia are one of my favorite cichlids. they are extremely regal and elegant, and are quite gentle. my pair at school takes shrimp right out of my hand.

[Cdog]

Here are a few pics of mine. His name is Heavy Metal.

[aquaticdesignsp]

I posted pictures of some of our Polleni cichilds here a while ago, but now it's time to unveil something new... a patternless Paratilapia Polleni cichlid that we have for sale. She is an 8-inch long female that we call "Perra". To our knowledge, and to the knowledge of the Newport Aquarium, she is the only known patternless Polleni in captivity.

See her color (video has better lighting):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krmD9_WeIvI
See her markings (video shows her sides):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWuw5zNoH-I

You can see how she displays olive green, instead of black, and does not have any of the usual iridescent Polleni markings. The only other patternless Polleni we could find information about was returned to Madagascar last year. Prior to that, she was being used in an attempted breeding project, and was insured for $50,000!! So Perra is one-of-a-kind, for sure!!

We have about 30 small-, large-, and micro-spots, and we would love to see her go to a home where she can be appreciated for her incredible rarity. PM if you are interested.

[WckedMidas]

That is so cool a thread i made 3 years ago is still alive FISH ON GUYS!!!!!!!!!

[Swann]

Smart looking fish, what size tank they in now?

[angelmouse]

This is my largespot, just gota love those huge lips
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/angelmouse19/tank05069.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/angelmouse19/jan082057.jpg
regards Angel

[aquaticdesignsp]

Because of where her tank is my fish room, it's tough to get a picture. You can see that she has no markings.

[lostnight]

New pic of the same fish I posted before.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n174/lostnight/cichlids/078.jpg

[Cross127]

I would post pics of mine 4" Male Bleekeri but he is insanely active and can NEVER get a clear shot of him. He is super aggro now that I added a Vieja to his tank for growout they both are going in a 400 gallon tank next month sometime or next week whenever I get the tank from my yard to the inside of my house. Be back with decent pics hopefully.

[Cross127]

Well couldn't get decent pics so heres a vid:

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd213/Cross127/?action=view&current=Bleekeri.flv

[aquaticdesignsp]

Here are some pics of my Polleni collection.

[aquaticdesignsp]

My colony of small spot Polleni Cichlids. Watch close for my Patternless Female. I have no knowledge of any other patternless Polleni anywhere. She is different. Tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZZ9S-1zc6IY