Here are a few more photos of the new acquisitions, taken yesterday and this morning. Sorry for the quality but as you know they are shy fish.
One of the better-looking ones (still rather skinny and less than 20mmTL) often seems to patrol around under the floating plants near the surface.
The others usually prefer the lower levels of the tank among the leaves and seed-cases there. I haven’t seen any interactions between them and the equally shy and sensitive weitzmani tetras in the same tank; hopefully there are enough hiding places for everyone. Hopefully the paros will eat and get stronger.
My previous success rate with Paros is a slightly disappointing 50%. I bought a pair about 18 months ago, but lost the female fairly quickly. In retrospect I wish I had bought a bigger group. The male is still with me, though I don’t see him often. I managed the following photo this morning:
He is a different species, of course, so I’m keeping them separate. Seeing him has made me realise quite how small and skinny the new P.paludicola are. Some of the live foods I have offered (e.g. daphnia) are too big for them, but hopefully the grindalworms and moina will be palatable.
Hopefully I can nurse the new P.paludicola back to health. Once they’re healthy then I would consider passing them over to a more experienced Parosphremenus breeder, given their rarity.
I also hope that someone else in the project will be able to acquire and save some more of this import.
Regards,
Paul