Paratilapia Polleni without spots

Good day everybody.

I purchased a Paratilapia Polleni from a fishstore and was very excited to bring it home. Never had one before and was always looking for one since I started keeping large cichlids.

The fish I got is about 10cm’s and dark in colour. I am a bit worried though as it does not have any spots. It is supposed to be black with white spots.
Am I too impatient giving that it is still juvenile and will get the spots later? I checked the web and although not seeing much juvenile the ones I did see had spots.

Anybody that has experience with them that can give an answer or some kind of guidence?

 

One of the big problems with cichlids from the middle of nowhere and then bred half way across the world is you dont know what youll get when it grows up. If you bought it for under R200 its most likely a polleni andapa. Theres 5 variants of polleni but we mostly get andapa the small spot one. Ive bought a black diamond one before and it cost me R300 at a cheap store so probably around R350-400 at other stores. Black Diamonds are also known as bleekeri and are my personal favourite. Your polleni will show spots more when its more comfortable , or higher up the hierarchy.

Edit: Yours could however be a hybrid if you store buys from breeders locally. Eyes look like amphilophus eyes a bit


Andapa



Bleekeri (black diamond)

 

Thank you for the reply.
I am not sure if I am allowed to mention the store’s name on here, but I definitely did not pay that little for it. I paid R750 for it. It was bred in captivity in South East Asia according go the store owner.

The Polleni is not very high up in the pecking order at this stage and it is a relieve to hear that it will show spots once more comfortable. Thinking that in time after growing a little it will settle and show his true colours.

Once again. Thank you for the reply.

I will be hunting for the Bleekeri. Stunning fish!!!

 

Youve been ripped off ! South East Asian fish are the cheapest . Even if its bigger than the size cichlid juveniles are normally sold at it shouldnt be anywhere near that. I presume you bought it at one of the stores that rhymes with meneers .

 

Yep, That is the store that I bought it from.

I will be thinking twice before going there again. I was actually referred to him by somebody I met at a braai.

It really is not easy finding a store in Pretoria that has these kind of exotics but will go look for some that will be more reasonably priced in the new year.

We are leaving to go to KZN tonight and a family member said they saw Pike cichlids in a store in Durban North. They have also been on my wishlist for a very long time. Just have to see about the pricing.

 

Great fish selection , terrible store. They really push the line between price on request and consumer protection act (not sure if they still hide prices). They do give you a straight number when ordering through email though (Its the highest price they think they can charge).

Funny enough our local expensive cpt store had a pike cichlid for only R500 last week (Normal retail price is around R800). Crenicichla Strigata/Venezuela is the species of pike that is imported into South Africa mostly. I have heard that "meneers" has brought in dwarf pikes. Durban actually has a lot of rare fish , so ive been told. Granted you might have to join a whatsapp group to find them , could be a good idea just before you leave

 

I also tend to think that the Boksburg store is a bit pricey and that he thumb suck prices when you enquire about certain species because the price is not on display.

If I can find a pike for that price I will be happy to pay it. Also depending on the size of-course. I have to keep in mind that my other fishes (more than one specie) in my aquarium are not adults yet.