What are 'ancient' and 'prehistoric' fish that are still alive today?
- Thread starter Pyluper
- Start date
Although not as ancients as Coelocanths or even Bichirs, i t is thought that some of the more ancient cichlids are the Etroplines of India, and Paretroplines of Madagascar.
Both have the most ancient swim bladder that acts as a hearing organ, attached to the skull, different than all other cichlids,
and the Etroplines seem to have a high tolerance for salinity, which suggests a transoceanic distribution.
Etroplus suratensus above, Paretroplus maculats and menerabmo below
Paretroplus maculatus spawning below
Both have the most ancient swim bladder that acts as a hearing organ, attached to the skull, different than all other cichlids,
and the Etroplines seem to have a high tolerance for salinity, which suggests a transoceanic distribution.
Etroplus suratensus above, Paretroplus maculats and menerabmo below
Paretroplus maculatus spawning below
$8 each is pretty amazing for a fish that is almost extinct in nature, and as a result is highly protected and no longer exported.
One caution, is they get rather large. mine easily hit 14¨(35 cms) and are a shoaling species, so my group of 6 easily and quickly out grew a 6 ft tank.
If I were to rate fish, I´d say menerambo would be in my top 5 to keep.
Beside it, and P maculatus, I have also kept, kieneri, nourisatti, and dambabe
Both kieneri and Etroplus canarensis are smaller, so better suited to moderately sized aquariums
I kept E canarensis as a shoal in a tank as tiny as 55 gal
One caution, is they get rather large. mine easily hit 14¨(35 cms) and are a shoaling species, so my group of 6 easily and quickly out grew a 6 ft tank.
If I were to rate fish, I´d say menerambo would be in my top 5 to keep.
Beside it, and P maculatus, I have also kept, kieneri, nourisatti, and dambabe
Both kieneri and Etroplus canarensis are smaller, so better suited to moderately sized aquariums
I kept E canarensis as a shoal in a tank as tiny as 55 gal
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