Paratilapia Polleni

I want to start sharing photos and stories from my aquarium and backyard pond hobby, and it seems the best place to start is with the cichlid that really got me started. This is Paratilapia Polleni from Madagascar, or Polleni for short. You'll find Black Diamond Cichlid as a common name, according to some sites, but I've never found them under any name other than Polleni at a fish store or for sale online.

My story:

A buddy of mine setup a 150 gallon about eight years ago and this was one of the first large cichlids he kept. At the time, I had a 55 gallon sitting empty in my closet. I'd kept various gouramis (another favorite of mine) years earlier, but hadn't bothered to set the tank back up after moving. When I saw my buddy's Polleni though, I knew I had to get back into keeping fish. The dark black body and the gorgeous blue and white spangles were unlike anything I'd seen before.

I bought this guy, a Jack Dempsey, Texas Cichlid and a Green Terror to grow out in the 55. At the time I had a vague understanding of how fast these fish would grow and the fact that my tank was too small for all four. Didn't really matter to the Polleni though because this guy reached 9" (about 7-8" in the picture above) in a little over a year and before being moved to a 125 gallon.

Sadly, he became ill in the 125 and never recovered (think I might have moved him too soon). I will never claim to be an expert on keeping fish and you learn as you go, but it was probably the most disappointing loss I've ever had in the hobby. Didn't cry, but sure wanted to.

I now have a pair growing out (in the 4"-5" range) and a smaller 2" male (I think) that I picked up recently (a local fish store had him in a tank with a bunch of Texas Cichlids for $5, that was a steal).

Another pic of my Polleni. He was near 9" at this point and still in the 55. By that point, he had the tank mostly to himself.

Aggression:

Most Polleni I've seen are true tank terrors, especially when they reach that 6-7" mark. If they're the dominant fish (and size isn't necessarily the only factor) you may find them patrolling the center of the tank and chasing others into hiding. I have kept mine in traditional African tanks with more success, where you have more fish and consequently less aggression, but if you're trying to grow them out you may find they progress slower.

Summary:

Obviously, I'm a big Polleni fan. When it comes to eye grabbers you're not going to get many fish that compare to them. And they're unique (had some African keepers over recently and they were quick to ask "what are those?"). You will often find Polleni kept, or sold, with New World cichlids as they are very similar in terms of size and temperament. It's good to think of them as being similar in terms of size and aggression, but remember that these guys (as well as the large spot Polleni, or Bleekeri) are actually from Madagascar where they're listed as critically endangered in the wild.