Pantano Pearsei cichlids- color and behavior

[spiff44]

There seems to be very little information and pictures available online... but I did find some that show them with blue or green hues... is that just the light in those pictures are do these guys come in blue and green?

I would also love to hear from others who have them regarding their behavior towards each other and other fish.

 

[duanes]

I kept pearsei about 10 years ago, they have bounced around from genus to genus as DNA sequencing restricts species that don't fit.
They have been in Cichlasoma, Herichthys, and last I heard were considered xCichlasoma, but I'm not sure where they have ended up at the moment.
Mine went from 2" to about 14" in less than 3 years, and being vegetarians I fed a high spirulina pellet, romaine lettuce, thawed peas, and in summer dandelion leaves from the yard. They quickly outgrew a 150 gal tank, and ended up in a 300 gallon rubbermaid.I now keep their close cousin xC bocourti.

 

[notho2000]

+1 to what Duane has said. They are one of the fastest growing cichlids I've ever kept, going from~2" to 10" in less than a year. They have incredible appetites, especially for peas (they love their veggies) and will eat until they can barely swim. They are real hogs, beating pretty much any other fish to the food. I had four large (12-14") ones in a 180G. They chased around a bit but were never that aggressive ... more like "big puppies". I lost them when there was a power outage when I was out of town. I lost the whole tank including 4 large adult bocourti... two breeding pairs. It almost resulted in me leaving the hobby. Anyway, here are a couple of pics of them. They really do need a huge tank to keep them properly.

 

[professor_rob]

I have a large one that never hassles any other fish in the tank. Even those fish that are much smaller, so a good community fish. They are very owner responsive and interactive.


Very good fish for a mid to large cichlid that looks good and is peaceful.







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[JackDempsey72]

I have a large one that never hassles any other fish in the tank. Even those fish that are much smaller, so a good community fish. They are very owner responsive and interactive.


Very good fish for a mid to large cichlid that looks good and is peaceful.


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Nice pearsei

 

[spiff44]

Thanks for the replies. Those are some nice looking fish. Your pictures show that they do seem to have different colors. I like the red belly on that one. And I guess it’s the angle or light that makes them get that green hue? I’m guessing those are the same fish that look green in one picture and yellow in another? Or do they change hues? i thought I was seeing the striped pattern on mine fade and then get more pronounced but thought it was my imagination or the lighting angles.

I have two that have pretty much doubled their mass in about a month. They were around 2.5 - 3inches and now they’re around 5 inches. I haven’t seen fish grow that fast. They caught up to my previously fastest growing fish, my 4 kissing gourami in that month. I have had the gourami for almost a year.. and they were about the same size as the pearsei’s when I got them.

Will they get more ornery towards each other as they mature? Right now they seem to be best buddies as they’re always together. They do posture about but it almost seems like a greeting more than anything. They get all perpendicular to each other for a moment and then they’re fine while they hang together. If they separate its then only minutes before they’re gravitating toward each other again. Its kinda cool.

 

[duanes]

Temperament has a lot to do with available space, if you have a large tank they should be fine, if a small tank, that's another story. Depth is not as important as overall footprint, in nature they graze on overhanging leaves and marginal vegetation so they sometimes inhabit fairly shallows areas.
They do produce a lot of waste, so overfiltration and lots of water changes as they grow is important.

 

[cjdesmit]

+1 to pretty much everything that's already been said. They get quite large and are relatively docile, would eat themselves to death, and tend to have good personalities. I have a lone male in my 135gal CA community and he is definitely my favorite. He's about a year and a half old and is around 8in.

There are a few different "varieties" from what I have seen as well. I have the "red finned" type and he is a real looker. Lots of green and blue hues.

 

[spiff44]

Cool. I can't wait until mine get colors like that.

notho.. sorry to hear about that loss.. that wudda sucked.

 

[cichliddave]

Shawn Armmentrout AKA Aquaticmadness just showcased a guy named David Draper who has a nice Pearsei. (OnTheROAD Episode #2) youtube.