Ptychochromis oligacanthus

[emartin]

I was wondering does anybody have any good photos of them showing full coloration, and photos that aren't taken with a dirty aquarium glass (I'd like to actually see the fish ...)?

Particularly the variant from Nosy Be (formerly Pt. nossibeensis).

I'm currently trying to figure if I'd rather keep Pt. grandidieri or these, and I am currently leaning a lot more towards the Pt. grandidieri but if I see any decent pics of the Pt. oligacanthus there is a good chance I'd change my mind...

Thanks in advance...!

~Ed

[seanwelsh1]

Hope these helps

Ptychochromis Grandidieri





Ptychochromis Oligacanthus Nosy Be

male



When he was younger



Female's

[Michael.NEGRINI]

Here are 2 pictures,
male :


female :

[Vincent Fu]

I think you would be happy with both fish.

[Michael.NEGRINI]

A video of a pair before spawning : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG9Tx0Qq64

No luck with this species for me, they eat all the eggs each time.

[dogofwar]

After a couple spawns in which they raised their babies for a couple of weeks, my pair seem to be settling into eating their eggs each time as well...

My pair is alone. Maybe another fish in the tank to spur their parental instincts...

[sidguppy]

my halfgrown pairs of oligacanthus spawned 2 weeks ago and one managed to get their fry to the free swimming stage

they're very good parents (this particular pair), kicking all the other fish in 1 corner.

awesome sight

unfortunately i couldn't get the fry to eat anything.....once the yolk was used they kept on swarming till they all starved to death.....

wich is very weird!
the only other cichlid that behaved likewise -recently that is- is etroplus maculatus. those did exactly the same, only many more times.
very good parents, defending their fry with vigor (biting me, biting everyone else), but the fry refused to eat.

[westafrica]

[dogofwar]

How large do male Nosy Be's grow?

I have a 2+ year old male in a 125 that seems to have stopped at about 6" or so...

I've heard they grow to 10+"...

Matt

[sidguppy]

I think that larger size is a case of tanksize and age.

in a huge tank fish get larger.
so in a 125G tank they might stop at 6" or so; but in a 300G maybe a bit larger; those huge specimen are caught in the wild......

maybe in ponds they get really up to size.


also: i think that most Madagascar cichlids are in for life, not just a few years.
unlike many other cichlids they grow slowly and they last a long time; who knows how big a Ptychochromis is when it manages to reach 15 or 20 years in a roomy tank with decent care?

growth seems to stop, but it rarely does; it slows down.
and unless it's really old; when the fish is placed in a larger tank it suddenly starts to grow out again.

2+ year is still young. adolescent. in my experience Nosy Be's breed already as 2" 'kids'.
every time during a spawn the fish slow or stop growing; especially the females. all the energy usually spent in growth is spent on eggs and breeding care.

[Dhonti]

Some Pic's of my fish.

Male:


female: