Paretroplus menarambo / Pinstripe Damba: "Poetry in Motion"

[notho2000]

This pair is "getting it on" again after a four month hiatus. They took a summer break but it seems as if their minds are back on procreating, especially the female. If they do, this time I'll attempt to save some fry. I am growing out 25 from a spawn 18 months ago to ensure the species remains in my tanks. They're around 4 to 5" and are just beginning to pair as well. Here is a brief video of this awesome species in pre-spawning behavior.
[video=youtube_share;Vfw82_HNiqY]http://youtu.be/Vfw82_HNiqY[/video]

 

[jweav]

They are stunning Jim! They have some amazing colors on them. What is there temperament like with their tank mates? What do you feed them?


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[TexanMFKer]

Always love to see your menarambos

 

[notho2000]

The pair is spawning as I'm writing this. The female chose to lay her eggs on the back of a rock, at the back of the tank, so the view is not the greatest. But here's one pic anyways. I'm planning to pull this spawn and try to save some young. Hopefully I can get a hatch. Fungus can be a real problem among other things.

 

[LS2012]

Poetry in motion indeed!

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[notho2000]

They are stunning Jim! They have some amazing colors on them. What is there temperament like with their tank mates? What do you feed them?


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Thanks Jon, They are very tolerant of heterospecifics, especially non Paretroplus, and in a group, conspecific aggression is minimal. I feed them almost entirely on pellet foods (Ken's Stick foods, NLS, Aquadine, Xtreme). I feed quite a variety.

Always love to see your menarambos

Thanks.

Poetry in motion indeed!

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Thanks Laurie.

 

[Quo Vadis]

How big are they, and how long did it take for them to get to that size? I have heard they are slow growers... I have a group of Paretroplus (4 Dambabe, 2 Menerambo - hoping to find some Maculatus) that are about 2 inches in my 155g West African tank, and I am curious what growth rate I should expect.

 

[notho2000]

How big are they, and how long did it take for them to get to that size? I have heard they are slow growers... I have a group of Paretroplus (4 Dambabe, 2 Menerambo - hoping to find some Maculatus) that are about 2 inches in my 155g West African tank, and I am curious what growth rate I should expect.

These two are around 10". I've had them for ~3 years and they were a good 4" when I got them. So I would suspect they are around 5 years old. All Paretroplus are slow growing IME and others have said. If you get small ones , you just have to be patient and be in it for the long haul. I have young ones coming up that are around 4" and they're approaching 2 years of age. They were "in the egg" in Dec. 2012. These young 'uns are presently pairing up and I think a couple of pairs have laid eggs.