Paratilapia sp. X

Species: Paratilapia sp. X

Population: 4

Date Acquired: April 2008

Current Size: 4-6 inches

Tank Size: 125 gallons

I had originally run across some cichlids named "Cichlasoma Polleni" at a local fish store. At that time I was faintly familiar with Malagasy cichlids (Cichlids from Madagascar) and thought to myself, the only Polleni, i had read about were Paratilapia Polleni, which is one of the species from Madagascar. I didn't even think to research more into it and I decided to buy one. After i brought it home it immediately got accustomed to the 55 gallon tank that I placed it it. It actually became jet black with spots. After a week, I decided to buy more and bought two more. At that time they were about $8 a piece. Those guys grew and eventually beat each other up. Then I moved to a new home and they eventually died because they got sick and couldn't really handle the whole moving process. However, I can vouch that they were fairly sturdy at about 4 inches in length. 

I immediately looked for a new group. This time I picked up 6 of them and traded all my mbuna for them. Then placed them in a 60 gallon tank to grow out with some of my Tanganyikans. Eventually they got a little too big and it kinda worried me keeping them with cyps. They went into my 125 gallon. They were about 4 - 5 inches when they started to pair off. They killed 2 of their kind. 1 jumped out of the tank in which i was unable to notice. The other one was beaten up so badly. I ended up with one pair. I moved one away into a hospital tank then placed him back into the main tank, but had to take out the couple since they've just about taken over 75% of the tank. 

The pair bond eventually diminished. Currently, I have all 4 Paratilapias in the 125, ranging in size from 4 inches to almost 6 inches.

About the naming. I had originally posted on Madfish groups on yahoo in which I had been responded to by Patrick DeRham himself. Told me to wait til my fish got big enough to identify. I'm hoping that what I do have isn't a hybrid. However, when I asked the LFS' owner, I was told that he got his shipment in from either Nicaragua or Indonesia. Neither countries are known to produce Malagasy cichlids, but we don't really know for sure. 

Cyprichromis Leptosoma "Utinta"

Species: Cyprichromis Leptosoma

Population: 7

Date Acquired: November 2007

Current Size: 3 inches

Tank Size: 40 Gallon long

One of my favorite cichlids. I picked up a group of 10 of these guys through cichlid-forum from a guy around the area. Out of those 10, i now only have 7 of which 3 are males and 4 are females. I've had them for over a little over a year now and I've only ever seen them try to breed once. However, as the picture indicates, the males often display to each other and towards the females. maybe if I kept them in a species only tank, they might have a chance at breeding. 

Current Stock

6 gallon Nano Marine

(2) Four Striped Damsels

10 gallon 

(1) Tetraodon Cochinchinensis (Target Puffer)

15 gallon growout tank #1

(?) Metriaclima Estherae (Red Zebra)

15 gallon growout tank #2

(?) Poecilia Latipinna (Black Molly)

(?) Mystery Snails

15 gallon breeding tank

(7)  Pseudotropheus Saulosi*

20 gallon long

(23) Lamprologus Multifasciatus*

20 gallon tall

(6) Cynotilapia Afra (Dogtooth Cichlid)

(3) Erpetoichthys Calabaricus (Reedfish)

30 gallon 

(7) Tilapia Bythobates

40 gallon long

(7) Cyprichromis Leptosoma Utinta (Sardine Cichlid)

(5) Altolamprologus Compressiceps "Goldhead"

(3) Telmatochromis Brichardi

(2) Lamprologus Brevis "Ikola"

(5) Lamprologus Occellatus "Blue"**

55 gallon corner

(4) Uaru Amphiacanthoides (Waroo)

(4) Cleithracara Maronii (Keyhole Cichlid)

(7) Pelvicachromis Pulcher (Kribensis)

(10) Etroplus Maculatus (Orange Chromide)**

(4) Parambassis Ranga (Glassfish)

(4) Hyphessobrycon Eques (Red Minor Tetra)

(5) Pangio Kuhlii (Kuhli Loach)

(3) Corydoras Trilineatus

60 gallon

(12) Tropheus Duboisi "Karilani"

125 gallon

(4) Paretroplus Dambabe (Dambabe)

(1) Paretroplus Maculatus (Damba Mipentina)

(8) Paretroplus Menarambo (Menarambo)

(6) Ptychochromis Oligacanthus**

(4) Paratilapia sp. X?

(3) Cyrtocara Moorii (Malawi Blue Dolphin)**

(3) Hypsophrys Nicaraguensis (Nic)

(3) Neolamprologus Leleupi

(2) Archocentrus Spilurus

(1) Toxotes Jaculatrix (Archerfish)

(1) Heros Efasciatus (Severum)

(2) Tilapia Snyderae 

Indoor Pond

(5) Tilapia Buttikoferi

(?) Poecilia Latipinna (Black Molly)*

(?) Poecilia Reticulata (Guppy)**

(6) Amatitlania Nigrofasciatus*

(?) Tropheops sp. Red Fin

(?) Labidochromis sp. Hongi (Red Top Kimpuma)

(5) Metriaclima Estherae (Red Zebra)*

(1) Iodotropheus Sprengerae

(7) Melanotaenia Splendida "Australis" (Australian Rainbowfish)

*Breeding 

**Have Bred in the Past

Beginnings

I first started keeping cichlids (unknowingly) when i purchased a couple of jellybean cichlids from a Walmart in Chino. At first, i thought they were cute and interesting. They both had personalities that made them feel like miniature round dogs with fins. Anyhow they didn't last long. I kept them in a 2 gallon tank in my apartment while living on campus. So, since i was so upset, i decided to do more research on these particular fish and found out all about them. Well let's just say I never looked at hybrids again. 

Next, i fell in love with kribensis and convicts. I picked up a pair of convicts from petsmart and by this time I had 2 more tanks, 2 (2.5) gallon tanks. I also picked up a pair of kribensis from an LFS in San Bernardino. The female kribensis killed the male, the convict lasted but were constantly fighting. Eventually i gave away the kribensis and the convicts had paired up. As i read more and more about cichlids, i frequented many of the LFS around the inland empire. I added more tanks to my apartment. I had 2 additional 5 gallon tanks in which, I also decided to obtain neolamprologus brichardi. I also tried german blue rams, which quickly died on me as well as geophagus surinamensis. (At this time i really had no clue what i was getting myself into but i kept promising myself that i'd get a bigger tank) For my next birthday my dad got me a 55 gallon corner tank and it came with metriaclima greshakei. They bred and bred and bred and eventually i sold them all off at another LFS. 

As you can imagine, I kept adding more and more tanks. I bought a 60 gallon acrylic tank, in which i moved many of my mbunas to. (oh yes, i picked up Ps. Acei, L. Caeruleus, P. Socolofi, M. Callainos, M. Lombardoi and randomly a Nic) Then I also bought another 30 gallon tank in which I ended up picking up a severum for. I also kept a severum with me at my apartment. The bigger tanks stayed at home with my parents. And on and on i went picking up new cichlids. I eventually also had Keyhole cichlids (which i still have) and bolivian rams in my apartment. 

Fast forward to a few months after, I picked up more tanks and more fish. To this day, i've kept at least 60 different species of cichlids. Currently I don't have all the ones i began with. Among those that didn't stay were my Daffodil Pulchers, Neo. Brichardi, Bolivian Rams, T. Vittatus, German Blue Rams, Angelfish, Discus, Ps. Socolofi, M. Callainos, L. Caeruleus, M. Greshakei, M. Lombardoi, and plenty others. 

What I do have is on a list on another page :)

Why The Cichlidophile?

I am one of those many aquarists who have fallen deep into the hobby of fish keeping; more particularly in the area of cichlid keeping. I have only been keeping cichlids for a little over 2 years but that is enough time to dig myself deep into the hobby. I have joined fishkeeping organizations as well as conservation lists. I've also searched far and wide to find the cichlids that I currently keep. I've read hundreds maybe even thousands of articles on the net and in libraries looking for information about every cichlid that i've come across. Simply put, i am a cichlidophile, someone who likes cichlids.