Paretroplus nourissati any info much appreciated...

[UnstoppableJayD]

Whats up MFK,

I picked up a pair of Paretroplus Nourissati this week. I have never kept them before (actually these are the first 2 I recall seeing in person). Any info or tips you have would be appreciated as I doubt i can replace them! Thanks

 

[Dispatch273]

I have no info for you but just wanted to say these guys are stunning!!! If you ever sell them call me!

 

[notho2000]

A great fish to try .. but can be frustrating. They are the toughest Paretroplus to maintain IME. I've kept them for a couple of years now. I've got mine scattered over several tanks to avoid problems. Once mature they can be very hard on one another .... where the dominant one will hunt down and 'eliminate' any others of the species. The trick in my mind is to have a large tank with tons of structure (rocks driftwood, flower pots, pieces of pipe, etc) to give the pursued ones a chance to keep out of harms way. Having said that, a friend of mine started with six to eight, raised them up to a decent size, and then proceeded to see his stock dwindle as a relentless pursuit took place ... and all this in a 750G tank, with loads of other fish and lots of structure. I'm not saying this is everybody's experience but it's worth thinking about. You tank and it's inhabitants look as if it will work to detract them from one another, especially since you just have the two of them. Hope it works out for you. Let us know how things proceed. BTW, where did you get them from?
Jim

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

Thanks..

Ok so i Have to watch the less dominant doesnt get hurt by the bigger one? They seem to hang together most of the time. No issues with other fish? How big can I expect them get?

The way i got them is a bit convoluted. A friend of mine was bringing up some fish from a wholesaler in florida, and these were the guy my friend knows down theres personal fish. So i really do not know where they originated from. From what i was told they were raised together.

 

[ciclasoman]

If you happen to have a pair, which seems to be the case, you may just get lucky. Make sure you place a lot of hiding spaces like Jim suggested. Don't underestimate the killing ability of a dominant lamena, they have it down to a science. I have a pair of adults that live peacefully now not without having eliminated 4 other lamena. It is a gorgeous fish, if you want to breed them, the best way is in an outdoor pond of at least 200 gallons.
Good luck

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

If you happen to have a pair, which seems to be the case, you may just get lucky. Make sure you place a lot of hiding spaces like Jim suggested. Don't underestimate the killing ability of a dominant lamena, they have it down to a science. I have a pair of adults that live peacefully now not without having eliminated 4 other lamena. It is a gorgeous fish, if you want to breed them, the best way is in an outdoor pond of at least 200 gallons.
Good luck

Thanks... So they are a pair? From the coloration or what? Also Why an outdoor pond vs tank?

 

[LS2012]

Very nice Lamena Jay! As Jose and Jim said, they can be a very challenging, but gorgeous species. Are they in your big tank build from last year? If they are, hopefully they'll behave or have space to retreat/hide in such a large tank with many distractions. I'm looking forward to updates and more pics, and maybe a pond build when everything isn't frozen here in nnj. Great looking Paratilapia too. Good luck!

Btw, Is that my former GT you picked up last year from Rt 4 in the pics? Laurie

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[LS2012]

I've got mine scattered over several tanks to avoid problems.

Jim, are you referring to your young group of (I think) 5? At what size did they need to be separated? Aside from increased aggression, can you pinpoint anything specific that triggered the need to split up your group? I'm very interested to hear more about their development.

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[ciclasoman]

Thanks... So they are a pair? From the coloration or what? Also Why an outdoor pond vs tank?

Those are excellent questions, I am speculating that you have a pair because they seem to tolerate each other and they were raised together. Two males would tear each other to pieces, the opposite is true with females so let's hope you have a pair. Lamena is a rheophyllic species, they have interesting adaptations of their swimming bladder, it projects into the brain. This seems to serve to amplify sound either to detect pray or other fish so my theory is that in the confines of a tank, the sound of pumps and surrounding environment becomes deafening. I think the fish have a tendency to eat their spawns and kill other inhabitants because of this. However, in a pond I haven't observed this behaviors. This again is my experience a kind of pseudoscience after several attempts at this species.

 

[notho2000]

Jim, are you referring to your young group of (I think) 5? At what size did they need to be separated? Aside from increased aggression, can you pinpoint anything specific that triggered the need to split up your group? I'm very interested to hear more about their development.

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Well, I decided to separate them when they hit about 4" based upon a hobbyist/friend's experience with his. He told me that almost overnight, things can change for the worst. Up to that time they were co-existing quite well. So, just to be on the safe side I split them up. They were in a 90G with a bunch of P. kieneri ... a busy tank which helped suppress aggression, but ultimately too small for them. At some point I'll reintroduce them to one another in a larger tank. In fact, I'll be putting two of them (think they're a pair) into a 180G with a mix of other Madagascans (Ptychochromis, Paratilapia) to see how they fare.