Questions about Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus

[Bob Henry]

I'm trying to find information and a good picture of Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus. Is this fish rare? What should someone on the northeast coast of the US expect to pay for this fish (assuming you could find one)? Please help me. Thanks.

 

[Randall]

Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus

Dear Bob,

From my experience with them, Pelmatochromis spp. are not very well known in the US hobby. The three or possibly four species currently referred to the genus are better known in Europe than they are here. Some consider Pelmatochromis spp. as somewhat large, colorless and uninteresting fish which, I believe, is a grossly inaccurate assessment. Surely, P. nigrofasciatus is a moderately sized, fairly peaceful, interesting and colorful fish that exhibits a striking pattern of dark markings inclusive of a "Pelmatochromis spot."

At far as I know, they are not very picky when it comes to water chemistry and will take a variety of foods. For further information about their breeding and husbandry, please contact me privately, and I am happy to hook you up with a hobbyist friend who keeps this fish.

For photos, please refer to Ariel Bornstein's web site at http://blackwaterfish.com/pelmat.htm.

Go for it and good luck with them! It would be a shame to see P. nigrofasciatus vanish from the US hobby altogether.

All the best,

Randall Kohn