I might have posted pictures of this male before, just like this shot of his. He measures about 14 inches and is around 4 years old. He shares a relatively small tank with 2 more pairs- 3 pairs total.
Paratilapia sp Andapa
- Thread starter ciclasoman
- Start date
Very nice. I use to breed them. I just purchased some small ones to grow out. Thanks for sharing.
I love these fish. Used to have a nice pair.
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wow, they grow larger than I thought. Very nice fish.
I'm also surprised that the pairs are ok together, spawning in same tank.
I'm also surprised that the pairs are ok together, spawning in same tank.
I want one to go with my collection ! too bad theres no hope for me in finding one around here.
I have a group of eight young from Jose that I'm growing out. When I got them about 4 months ago, they were about 3/4". Now they're getting close to 3" and they really like to interact (i.e.chase one another). No real damage at all ... just very competitive, especially when it comes to feeding. Even more so than my 'polleni'. They are like little pigs. The pecking order is already being established at this young age. I really believe it's important to let the young Madagascans grow up together in order to develop a long term stability in the group.
Yes Laurie, there were about 10 together in a 135 gallon tank, the dominant males picked their mates and tolerate them very well though occasionally there are minor squabbles. The other males were chased relentlessly so I removed them. There are two unpaired females in the 3-pair mix to act as dither fish. The fish will not mate in this configuration, at least I seriously doubt it. So when I am ready to have fry, I move another pair I have in a separate tank outside into a pond. Almost immediately, the pair will spawn and so I remove fry after they have matured about 2 weeks. Easiest for me is to go outside in the cover of night as some fry swim on the surface with a bucket and dip it to grab as many I can.
Jim is correct when he says that when it comes to madagascans, raising them together is a cardinal rule. Removing fish is risky as it throws off the balance built over years. I only remove specimens if they are being beaten too much.