Paratilapia Polleni Bleekeri

[Bmac1972]

Does anyone have experience with this fish? The lfs has a bunch of juveniles.. Very pretty fish!..


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[Dallascowboys16]

Does anyone have experience with this fish? The lfs has a bunch of juveniles.. Very pretty fish!..


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I would say that no one here has probably even heard of it before but I looked it up and boy is it a stunner! I would snatch up a group and see if you can't establish a couple of breeding pairs. They are not seen very often so go for it!

 

[Freakgecko91]

I would say that no one here has probably even heard of it before but I looked it up and boy is it a stunner! I would snatch up a group and see if you can't establish a couple of breeding pairs. They are not seen very often so go for it!

Out of the Madagascan cichlids, these are probably the most common.

Treat them like you would a bigger Central American. A single pair in a 75 gallon would work, with a small group of robust dithers, possibly even target fish. Bleekeri are going to be a bit on the aggressive side, and will typically show that even from a young age. Overall a very cool fish though


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[Bmac1972]

Thanks for the reply guys! I have a 72bowfront laying around and was thinking of setting it up for one of them. How big do they typically get?


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[Freakgecko91]

I don't have direct experience, just what some others have told me. Looks like males hit 10-12" and females less than that. The source online I saw said 120 gallons per pair, but personally that seems a little steep and feel, with proper care and attention, and readiness with a divider, a 75 would work ok. As for a single specimen, a 72bf would be perfect, just know that these grow very slowly


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[Bmac1972]

Would dithers still be acceptable for a single fish... Or just treat it as a "wet pet"?


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[Freakgecko91]

Would dithers still be acceptable for a single fish... Or just treat it as a "wet pet"?


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I personally would keep as a
Wet pet. The thing about bleekeri is that they're endangered in the wild, so breeding them in captivity is always a bonus


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[Bmac1972]

Great!.. Thanks for the advice!... Now I need to get my wife on board for another tank!!


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[LayzorBeams]

I love bleekeri! Polleni are nice but the look a bit different. I was going to buy a juvy group of these but i decided against it, simply because it was back when i was very new to cichlids and they seemed a bit difficult. Since then I've done a lot more research and an waiting to find another group of them.

As stated before, treat them like a large Central American. A pair of them with some Rainbowfish would be stunning. They are quite a rare fish.

I would give these a high rating on my list of future fish to keep. They are beautiful.


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[Dallascowboys16]

Out of the Madagascan cichlids, these are probably the most common.

Treat them like you would a bigger Central American. A single pair in a 75 gallon would work, with a small group of robust dithers, possibly even target fish. Bleekeri are going to be a bit on the aggressive side, and will typically show that even from a young age. Overall a very cool fish though


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I meant not as common to see around here While they may be the most commonly seen cichlid from Madagascar (Didn't know that) They are definatley a little more unique than the usual selection of convicts, green terrors, severums, Mbuna, etc. Still an awesome fish though!

 

[PassengerTN]

IIRC, Bleekeri was actually removed and its now just large and small spot Polleni. Bleekeri became large spot. Feel free to correct me if this is wrong.

Jesse

 

[LayzorBeams]

IIRC, Bleekeri was actually removed and its now just large and small spot Polleni. Bleekeri became large spot. Feel free to correct me if this is wrong.

Jesse

I have no idea i don't keep up with the current names. I was told Bleekeri had big spots and Polleni had small, and thats how i identify them. I only keep track of the names i need to know to be able to communicate properly.


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[Freakgecko91]

IIRC, Bleekeri was actually removed and its now just large and small spot Polleni. Bleekeri became large spot. Feel free to correct me if this is wrong.

Jesse

I know it's pretty debated and I'm not sure if there's a unanimous decision whether or not to combine them. For now, I just refer to them as bleekeri and polleni


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[PassengerTN]

I know it's pretty debated and I'm not sure if there's a unanimous decision whether or not to combine them. For now, I just refer to them as bleekeri and polleni


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I think most of this "generation" of keepers will as well, aside from trying to be politically correct at least.

Jesse

 

[Freakgecko91]

I think most of this "generation" of keepers will as well, aside from trying to be politically correct at least.

Jesse

From what I was reading, it appears that they were previously believed to be the same species (big spot/little spot variations) and have since been divided into separate but related species due to difference in size and behavior as well as the obvious spot size. Again, what I was reading, not my experience or direct knowledge


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