Shy subocellatus?

[Pelvicachromis]

I have several types of Pelvicachrmois and most are very gregarious, but both pairs of subocellatus are very shy and can seldom be seen with out standing on my head and looking in every nook and cranny of the tank. They always appear to be in stress color and my wife describes them as nervous looking fish. I have one pair in a 40 gallon tank with some Dawn Tetras and the other pair in a 1 gallon with some pencil fish. Both tanks have java fern and various clay pots and pvc tubes for decoration.

Are subocellatus more shy than other species?
Any suggestions?


Keith

 

[Randall]

Shy Pelvicachromis subocellatus

Hello Keith,

I don't think Pelvicachromis subocellatus are more shy than, say, P. pulcher or P. taeniatus; wild fish, however, may need a bit more attention than their tank-raised counterparts. Are your fish wild-caught?

In the wild, P. subocellatus are found in soft, acidic water and are closely associated with aquatic plants. A well-planted and well-decorated tank with small dither fish as tankmates should be to their liking.

The 1-gallon tank that you describe sounds too small. Perhaps a larger tank that is set up in the above fashion will enable your fish to act more normally.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Pelvicachromis]

Hi Randall,

The pairs I have are aquarium breed. and the "1-gallon" is a type mistake, it is 15 gallons.

I will add some more plants and try a different dither fish.
Still haven't found a dither that I like to look at and that
the fish "trust" to come out of hiding.

thanks,

Keith

 

[Pelvicachromis]

So I now know some of why one pair was so shy.....FRY!!!

I started moving things around last night to make the pair more comfortable, so they would come out more, I lifted a clay pot and..... mother and fry!!

She really freaked out (so did I a little), she took off to hide behind a filter. I replaced the pot as I found it. This morning both parents are hiding near the sponge filter, but I don't see the fry anywhere. I am not lifting and decorations though. After work will take a closer look. Hopefully I didn't break the parent/fry bond.

It's been a good pelvicachromis week. Albino kribes fry on Sunday and subocellatus on Monday.
Keith

 

[Pelvicachromis]

UGH.....

the subocellatus ate the fry.....they are a young pair so I hope it was just first time jitters.

Keith

 

[westafrica]

Hi!
I can't give you a general answer for the subocellatus : in shops "subocellatus" refer to different species ("standard subocellatus (Günther, 1871), 2 forms at least of sp. aff. subocellatus, subocellatus"matadi").
I'm quite sure that the subocellatus matadi doesn't even belong to the "roloffi - subocellatus" group, the shape of the body doesn't match. But I can tell you that my matadi (not wild caught), aren't shy at all : when I bought them, the male was not even 2 inches long, the female 1.5, and they conquered more than half of the tank face to adult taeniatus moliwe (more than3 inches for the male, more than 2 for the female). And I swear that the taeniatus wern't shy at all... However, when they bred for the first time, they were particularly cautious, leading the fry step by step, inch by inch, and bringing it back home at the least move in front of the tank.

Experienced showed me that a too small tank makes them much shyer, and I think too that the pair shouldn't be alone.

Good luck for the next fry!

Westafrica

 

[Randall]

"Westafrica"

Dear Westafrica,

Welcome to our forum! It's a pleasure to have yet another western African cichlid fan on board. I hope you enjoy our forum; it is very informative.

If you are French, please give my very best to Michael Negrini and Florent de Gasperis.

All the best.

Amicalement,

Randall Kohn

 

[westafrica]

Thanks Randall for your welcome message!
I agree with you : the forum (and the site!) is very informative! And it's always a new thrill to discover the picture of a new species of west african cichlid!
The fans of west african cichlids are not very numerous around the world (people don't know how wonderful they are...), but this forum is their point of "rendez-vous"!

I don't know the people you quote, even if I'm certain that I know their names : aren't they members of the AFC (french cichlids association) ?

Anyway, thanks again, and read you soon!

Westafrica