my first cichlids :)

[treehuggingfishlover]

Hello all.  I just bought my first trio of cichlids.  They are tiny little babies (about 1"), but they look so different from the adult photos I've seen.  I bought 3 Paratilapia "Marolambo", which are green/ black with white spots as adults but the babies I have look greenish blue with stripes and a clearly defined dot on the front of their dorsal fin.  

Is this the right fish? :)

BTW, I'm new here and quite the novice, so any feedback is appreciated!

[CichlidFan]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Welcome

I don't have alot of experience myself, but those sound like really nice fish....

You've come to the right place for tips and advice, there are a lot of good folks here who really know their stuff....

Others will be along soon to share their thoughts on your new fishies....

Take care...

CF

[marauder_77868]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Try these links...

http://madagroup.francecichlid.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=142

http://www.cichlidae.com/gallery/species.php?s=352

They get quite large and quite agressive. The ones you got are named after the location collected....Marolambo. Dave at Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish can probably tell you all about them if you give him a call. 210-599-9444

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Thanks, Charles (I think I bought a few fish and plants from you, too :))  I bought the cichlids from Dave, and I just sent him an email asking him about the little guys.  Shane and I set up a new tank last night (until 2:00am) and all our new plants and fish are quite happy.....  The cichlids got their own tank with the holey rock we got and they, too are happy.

My first auction was fun- who knew? lol

Samantha~

[fishboyt]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Welcome to the box, treehuggingfishlover!  

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Thanks, fishboy :)  I'm still searching online for my cichlis species.  It looks a little like a ectodus descampssi, only it has stripes.

:)

[ds1196]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Hi Samantha,

You got the right fish.  They do definitely look different as juveniles.  As they mature, the body will darken, so you will no longer be able to see the black spot on the dorsal fin or the stripes on the body.  The ones you have are about 3 months old, so they've still got a lot of growing to do!  This is a pic (taken by my buddy Dave Hansen) of the father:



Some of those little specks around his head may be the actual fish you have now.  I hope you enjoy them!

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

LOL- that is so funny.  Well, three of those little spots have a very happy home :)

We put them in a tank with the big holey rock we bought, and I have to say they are so cute.  Every time I go to the tank they swim over and look right at me and then go hide, peeking out to see if I'm still there.  

I've always wanted a cichlid tank, much to shane's dismay (he loves the sweeter fish- like apistagramas and tetras).

Anyway, thanks for letting me know.  I'll try to post some pictures this week of the little guys in their new home.

Take care!

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Ok, now that we've established that I have the right fish :) my next question is:

What other tank mates can I put with them?  Are they better off alone?

I just want them to be happy cichlids- lol

S~

[ds1196]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Once they pair off, they're BRUTAL!  I wouldn't recommend housing anything else with them, unless you keep them separate from each other.

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Ooooooooo, sounds scary :)

Well, looks like I'll have a beautiful paratilapia tank....

Thanks again for answering me so fast!

sam~

[CichlidFan]

Re: my first cichlids :)

They kind of remind me of a fresh water grouper.....very pretty, kind of like the manganese ....another very pretty,  yet agressive fish.

CF

[ds1196]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Steve - they really are just like a misplaced Central American.  Not sure how they ended up on Madagascar!

[treehuggingfishlover]

Re: my first cichlids :)

On one of the websites I was looking at last night I read that they're not actually native to Madagascar, they were introduced at some point.  Now they're endangered-  or so that is what I got from what I read.....

[ds1196]

Re: my first cichlids :)

Paratilapia are native to Madagascar, but the Tilapia there were introduced.  The Paratilapia are endangered partly due to competition with the Tilapia.  Most of Madagascar's fish are endangered as a result of the introduction of Tilapia as a food fish.  They out-compete everything.