Thailand import sold as P.paludicola (UK)

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

Today I was at Pier Aquatics (Wigan, UK) and unusually they had a tank of Paros.
On the tank they were just labelled Liquorice Gourami, but I asked Rachel to check what species they were. Apparently they came in on a direct import from Thailand about 6 weeks ago, and were listed by the supplier as P.paludicola.

There were about 40 fish in the tank, but many were in poor condition. I bought six, trying to avoid the skinniest ones. They are now settling into one of my acidic tanks with a buffet of live foods on offer and I have seen several of them out hunting morsels.

They were an unplanned purchase so they’re currently sharing a tank with half a dozen Poecilocharax weitzmani of similar size and requirements.

I have attached the three reasonable photos that I have managed since bringing them home a few hours ago (showing two different fish).

I’m not an expert on these, though I have kept one pair of Paros before. Perhaps I will need to feed them up and let them settle in a bit more before we can be sure of the identity?

Best Regards,
Paul

[helene schoubye]

The middle photo to me looks like paludicola all right. The other two photos are not possible to id.
Paludicola also is a species where it makes sense with the import from Thailand as their natural habitat is in the very north of Malaysia bordering to the South of Thailand. They do look thin and not too good. Please be careful providing good water quality ? and good food. Sounds like you are doing that. Paludicola is very very rarely in Trade.

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

Helene ,
Many thanks for the quick response. I’ll take the best care of them I can – although I could see that they were thin I thought it was better to try and save them than to leave them to starve in the shop (where they were being ‘fed’ with pellet food).
The tank they are in has a conductivity of 10us/cm and a pH about 5.0, it’s been running very stable as an acidic tank for several years. Foods offered so far include grindalworms, moina, daphnia and some other small critters from a tub in the garden.
Regards,
Paul

[helene schoubye]

That Sounds really good, yes, would have been quite an ordeal for Them so long time with no proper food.
I have told someone Else who lives in the area who might go check it out too. Are you in our facebookgroup ? Would be worth writing it there too

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

Thanks Helene. I’m not on Facebook at all, but feel free to re-post the info there.
Kind Regards,
Paul

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

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

[helene schoubye]

Hi Paul

Thanks for your work trying to rescue these, – they are as you say, rare and threathened. And paros in a shop, that is not used to them have a hard time.
I did certainly put a note up in the facebookgroup, and also contacted some in the area. I dont know if anyone then goes to check and buy, but I am hoping too.
I also got a confirmation from Martin Hallmann (who really knows more about id than me) – and he did agree it looked to be paludicola.

When you think they are ready for moving on to someone else, let me know, and I will try to find someone. It should be possible.
Kind regards Helene

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

An update:

I’ve had the fish about 5 weeks now. I lost one fish of the six after a couple of weeks. I have now prepared an existing tank especially for the remaining five, it’s 100L and is decked out with seedpods, leaves and branches. Very soft water with tannins, and in a quiet location. Floating plants are starting to cover the surface.

The fish went in yesterday morning and seem to have settled. I have seen all five swimming around and taken some photos, though conditions are difficult for photography owing to low light and tannins. One of the photos shows all five fish together. Two fish still look very thin but they are active.

Behaviour-wise, there is clearly a dominant male that is longer and fatter than the rest. He has long pectoral fins and a rhomboid (slightly pointed) shape to the caudal fin. The edges of the fins have a fine electric blue line, but otherwise the fins seem clear.

He is often seen interacting with two of the other fish, including what may be a reasonably healthy female, plus one of the thin ones. The remaining two fish usually hang out on their own, but occasionally join the group.

I am offering daphnia, moina, grindalworms and newly hatched artemia.

I hope they will continue to improve in condition.

Can we confirm the species?

Best Regards,
Paul

[helene schoubye]

Dear Paul

I put it up in the facebook group, and I did get a confirmation, as I think I also wrote here. I think you can be certain that these are paludicola.
They do look to be doing well, so you have done a great job.
The conditions they have now, is also very fine and proper food, – so there’s good reason to be optimistic

Kind regards Helene

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

Remarkably, I now have proof that the fish are not all male as I had thought. I have just spotted a juvenile in the tank!
It’s about 12mm long, so it has been there for a while. Perhaps there are more?

[helene schoubye]

Congratulations 🙂
I always say – if theres one, theres more ….
And its kind of normal too, to not discover the fry before they are actually rather big.
Also, – its kind of normal to say that, – if they have done it once, – they will do it again. So it is very good news.

I just found also, in my nagyi tank, that there are fry from at least two different batches,- some are rather big, – and some are really small still. This is usual, – the male, once he figures it out,- will continue breeding often.

I wish you good luck, – maybe if you can watch closely you can discover which one is the female 🙂 ..

[Paul Molyneux-Berry]

You’re absolutely right. While watching the tank at feeding time, I saw the colourful male alongside another fish displaying ‘sexy eyes’. They were in a gloomy back part of the tank so a photo wasn’t possible this time.

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