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PAROSPHROMENUS PROJECT

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My experience with P. sumatranus

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  • #3501
    Marcin Chyla
    Participant

    Hello Everyone ! I would like to share my experience with P. sumatranus – My first Parosphromenus species 🙂
    The first observation was… shyness! I was confused that in relativly big tank ( 100x30x30 cm) for 4 paros they was exstremly shy. Becouse I don’t understand that I lost 2 of them. They didn’t eat and die few weeks later. After that I realize that I must change something. I added some more plants in aquarium and I also added full of oak leaves – it works ;). They much often swimming in open water and I saw, for the first time, male breeding colors! wow that was something! Then I realized why some much people interesting in that genus.:)The second problem was food – I read about paros in every literature I find ( in Polish language I find only short information but in our west neighbour 🙂 was plent of publications about Paros – but I don’t know any word in German 🙁 finally I find few issues of IGL ‘Der Macropode’ in english :)) Becouse My main aquaristic topics are Satanoperca and Biotodoma species I have plenty of frozen food and this was my first main food for paros – glass worms was to big, black worms too – only food they taked was artemia. Few month later when they grow up a little bit they eat glas worms too – I started also give them live glass worms and this become favore food of my Paros. After that all adventure I saw one litlle paros among roots – I was shocked! They spawn and I even don’t know about this ( I every day looked at my paros 🙂 Becouse, before this I add to my paros few young Copella nigrofasciata
    now I know why, when I come back from my weekend trip All fishes were thin but Copella didn’t ! They must eat young paros fry – I give copellas my friend and since then I’m waiting for secound spawn. I prapare a little more for this ( Now I give my paros live artemia larvae and micro worms and small daphnia ).And I hope that my experience helps me to continue my Parosphromenus adventure….

    I add that in that week I will be a happy owner of 5 psc of P. deissneri 🙂
    Attached 2 pcs. of my paros and tank…Greetings!

    [URL=http://www.fotosik.pl/showFullSize.php?id=5130a2eba4f58902][IMG]http://images35.fotosik.pl/704/5130a2eba4f58902m.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

    [URL=http://www.fotosik.pl/showFullSize.php?id=fa14837a5a0753c8][IMG]http://images38.fotosik.pl/881/fa14837a5a0753c8m.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

    #3502
    helene schoubye
    Keymaster

    Hello Martin and welcome to this forum and homepage. I hope you will find much more information here in english which will help you, – that is what we hope to do, to help people as you with an interest in the parosphromenus species. Because it is not so much information that you can find about them.
    I am happy to read that you are already making some of your own experiences with the fish, – in the beginning it is difficult, but once you learn by experience and from others it becomes easier. And the fact that you have already had the fish spawn is a very good sign. So keep up the good work 🙂
    Your observation about the Copella is certainly helpful, – I think you are right, – if you would like the paros to spawn they should not be kept with other fish. Parosphromenus are not very assertive or fast as f.example Copellas and they will not be able to get to the food quick enough, as well as the fry will be eaten.
    P.sumatranus is as far as I know not an easy species to get to spawn, so that is very good, – now the big question is how to do it again 🙂 … now it probably becomes difficult.

    Food is a difficult matter often, but artemia is a very good food, and most other kinds of small live food, – I am not sure about glass worms, normally I would think they are in the too big range for the fish, and its not so good to use them as main food, – but small amounts (and small sizes) is good. Dafnia are also good.
    The tank can be more or less helpfull as well, – its very good as you do with leaves to provide som hiding spaces, etc for the fish, it could be even much more than what I see on the photo. But often it is also very helpfull to keep only the male and female together in a much smaller tank, -such as 12 liter, and give them the opportunity to find a cave.
    The water quality also plays a part, – what kind of water do you use, do you know what the ph is and how hard / soft the water is ?

    It sounds really interesting that you are getting even more parosphromenus, – however, we are always a bit sceptical when the fish are sold as deissneri in the shop. It is very rarely, or in fact never, the ‘true’ deissneri. But it is always some other interesting species, – so when you get them, it would be interesting to see photoes of them, and then we might help you to find out if it is the true deissneri, or if not, which species is it then.
    But please feel free to ask any kind of questions, we are happy to help what we can..

    #3503
    Marcin Chyla
    Participant

    Hello, Thank You Hellene for Your reply. I have smaler 30L aquarium and probably I will move my P. sumatranus pair + young to this tank. Bigest tank will be for P. deissneri – I will have them tommorow. I asked are they really P.deissneri and I get answer that this man have this fishes from some Asian shop and they are wild and for sure P. deissneri – we will see :):) I take photo as soon as I get them.
    Becouse like I said I have long term experience with Satanoperca and biotodoma species – I have a lot of water with pH – 4.5 and conductivity around 80-110 us. I use nut shell as tannins source and use plants witch grow above the water surface for decrise nitrate level. I also do weekly 20% water changes for my big ( 630L) tank , so I change little of water in my paros tank the same time. Greetings!

    #3563
    Peter Finke
    Participant

    Marcin, the shyness that you reported for your sumatranus is experienced by nearly all who had this species. It’s a strange fact but it seems a general feature of these fish; I cannot explain it.
    But with reference to your last posting: You must have got the so-called “deissneri” meanwhile. I doubt it’s really deissneri. But what is it?
    The conditions you offer to the fish and your practice are rather perfect; the conductivity maybe a bit high for the development of eggs. Using tannine is certainly an interesting alternative. I did it in former times too; one only has to be carefull not to use too much of the material.

    #3570
    Marcin Chyla
    Participant

    Hello, I will have those P. ‘deissneri’ on friday. The first thing I will do is picture of them:) About conductivity, I suspect that my RO prefilter is too old ( or maybe even membrane) so I will need to replace them soon. About water, I use water from my 625L tank to water changes in small tanks with paros, I think that parameters in big tank with big sump filter are rather good and constans.

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