Paratilapia Polleni & Bleekeri care
- Thread starter KMAC5
- Start date
To me a 75 gal is OK for 1 Paratilapia for a few years, although males get quite large under good conditions, but to keep more than 1 in that size tank is questionable. Males are very intolerant of other males, and non-receptive females, although other non-Paratilapia species are usually ignored. Your pH is certainly fine.
A 6 ft tank would be better if you want to keep more than 1.
Even in my 6ft tans though, the alpha males tend to kill females not ready, when he wants to be. The tank in the video below is 6ft, and held 1 male and 3 females for a while, but due to aggression, had to be moved to a 400 gal pool, after he started killing females.
A 6 ft tank would be better if you want to keep more than 1.
Even in my 6ft tans though, the alpha males tend to kill females not ready, when he wants to be. The tank in the video below is 6ft, and held 1 male and 3 females for a while, but due to aggression, had to be moved to a 400 gal pool, after he started killing females.
To me a 75 gal is OK for 1 Paratilapia for a few years, although males get quite large under good conditions, but to keep more than 1 in that size tank is questionable. Males are very intolerant of other males, and non-receptive females, although other non-Paratilapia species are usually ignored. Your pH is certainly fine.
A 6 ft tank would be better if you want to keep more than 1.
Even in my 6ft tans though, the alpha males tend to kill females not ready, when he wants to be. The tank in the video below is 6ft, and held 1 male and 3 females for a while, but due to aggression, had to be moved to a 400 gal pool, after he started killing females.
Is there a way to have anything else in the tank? I doubt I'd be able to get an adult so is it possible to have something else in there like a school of fish while he/she is growing up?
A school of non-cichlid fish are often ignored, as long as they are large enough not to be swallowed.
If you want to be geographically correct, a shoal of Bedontia (Malagasy rainbows) would probably work well, they are fast, beautiful, and get large. But in the end just about the time the Paratilapia bio-load gets too large for the tank, the rainbows might have been eaten. Paratilapia are considered crepuscular feeders, often active at dawn, or dusk, when their prey are not quite with it enough, to get away.
If you want to be geographically correct, a shoal of Bedontia (Malagasy rainbows) would probably work well, they are fast, beautiful, and get large. But in the end just about the time the Paratilapia bio-load gets too large for the tank, the rainbows might have been eaten. Paratilapia are considered crepuscular feeders, often active at dawn, or dusk, when their prey are not quite with it enough, to get away.
I have a single female polleni in a 75 with a lone angelfish tankmate. An odd couple, I know, but they get along just fine. They've been together coming up on a year here soon. The polleni is an excellent wet pet, very social and interactive. She's awesome.
Glad to see she's doing well. Still one of my favorite fish I've owned.
They're incredible fish. I'm starting a madagascan tank soon and I couldn't resist adding a East Coast Small Spot, despite already having a Bleekeri in another tank 