Paretroplus Maculatus

[ewurm]

Just picked up one of these that had been traded in at the store as a tilapia. They are critically endangered in their endemic range of Madagascar but are apparently being bred in aquaria here in the US. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the Paretroplus genus or this species. The photo is the best specimen I could find but the photo is not mine. I'll take a picture when the tank settles down.

 

[duanes]

I have been keeping a number of Paretroplus for years, they have bred many times, but I have not had success with fry.
They seem to prefer living in groups in very large tanks, but if the group is temporarily separated it has a hard time returning to its original copacetic hierarchy.

I tried to separate a group of menerambo after a spawn, then return together after, they immediately turned to killing each other.

The menerambo get quite large, over 12", after a few years the maculatus are @8".
kieneri are also an interesting smaller species.

Dambabe and lamena can also be found if one searches

Lamena are seemingly the most intolerant of each other.

 

[ewurm]

Very cool fish. What are you feeding?

 

[duanes]

In nature they are snail eaters, so I feed snails whenever I can. Luckily snails tend to collect in my overflow boxes so I pull out the screens and shake the snails in, they crush snail shells like they are made of phyllo dough. They also eat any kind of pellets I give.
I've had them clean out tank so infested with snails, you can barely see thru the glass in 24 hours.