After selling all my fry and breeding pair last year, I saw some at the LFS and bought more. Only about an inch. pics to follow soon.
Polleni are back
- Thread starter triz316
- Start date
An addiction you can't stay away from? My buddy and I have kept Polleni for several years now. Seems like neither of us can go long without at least one in one of our tanks.
I grabbed 3 juvies just before xmas time. The goal was to pick one for a CA community tank I just setup. Early February I picked the one I wanted and took the other 2 back to the LFS.. I went back 2 weeks later and they still had them so I grabbed em. The 1 I had kept just wasn't the same without his/her mates.
Congrats on the new fish, Tom.
I have a single juvie male in one of my 125's, I couldn't imagine him in a group setting. Very outgoing, and very dominant and belligerent to the few tank mates that he has. I'm pretty sure the only thing this male thinks about is food.
I have a single juvie male in one of my 125's, I couldn't imagine him in a group setting. Very outgoing, and very dominant and belligerent to the few tank mates that he has. I'm pretty sure the only thing this male thinks about is food.
As notho2000 said, they're best in groups. My lone female Paratilapia is indeed very shy and reclusive. She spends alot of time in her 'cave'. I've been on the lookout for more of the same type for a while. Good luck 
Looking forward to pics!
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Looking forward to pics!
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I believe that only holds true if one is considering keeping more than one specimen, per tank. While a single fish may end up being shy and reclusive, I've seen numerous examples over the years where the exact opposite could be said, including with my most recent young male. Much of that often boils down to the overall dynamics of the tank, age of the fish, as well as the individual personality of the fish. I certainly wouldn't say that as a whole sp. pollini are timid fish, nor to my knowledge has it ever been reported that they hunt/feed in groups in the wild. Outside of breeding season, for the most part these fish seem to fly solo, which holds true for many species of cichlids.
Clarification: Singles are fine if in a tank with similar temperament fish (community setting). They often seem to mimic the other inhabitants behaviors. I have had singles, twos and multiples in a single species tank and I found, especially if they're young, that they can be skittish and reclusive. "Older" results in "bolder" (ie they become bolder with age - sorry about the 'poetry). I kept 6 young Paratilapia sp Andapa (from ciclasoman/Jose Gonzales) in a 25G tank by themselves just after I got them. They did okay but not quite as good as I hoped. So I moved them in with some P dambabe into a 45G. They became very bold and aggressive to one another and the dambabe. So I moved them by themselves into a 70G by themselves. They hid all the time and barely ate. I then moved them in with a bunch of young menarambo into a 90G. They now blend right in and chase about and feed heartily. No damage results. I kept a large pair of polleni 'Fony' in the mid 90s in a 70G. The male hemmed the female into an inverted flower pot and never let her out. She would have starved to death if I hadn't intervened. I put them in a 125 long with a couple of tilapia, and within two weeks they spawned. So IME, singles are okay if in with other species. Multiples are fine in groups of like species, and best in with other species. Not saying that pairs can't be kept successfully. But the pair bonds in Madagascans are fragile at best. So with more fish present, a more stable, non threatening environment is created. No more ramblings, RD. Tom sorry for the diversion.