Paratilapia Polleni - in The Aquarium

In The Aquarium

P. polleni are temperature and pH tolerant. Thus in captivity they are reasonably hardy and rarely shy. As such, this fish is an ideal aquarium resident if given the appropriate environment and tank mates considering its formidable stature. They eat most commercial fish foods, such as flakes, pellets, frozen, and alike. They are also highly proficient at capturing live foods as well. P. polleni displays the same kind of 'intelligent' behavior common to other cichlids. They can be trained to eat from the hand and will recognize and approach their owner (often retreating from an unfamiliar person). In the aquarium, P. polleni are more cautious and easily spooked than many of the more readily available cichlids, but otherwise adaptable to aquarium life. P. polleni is aggressive towards conspecifics, especially if a male / female bond develops. The pair bond between males and females is sporadic and easily broken. If this happens the female can become imperiled by the male's aggression if not removed. Despite these qualities, P. polleni is not well known in the aquarium trade, though this is beginning to change. If they display full coloration, non-dominant and sub-dominant individuals of any size will often suffer aggression from the alpha individual(s). For this reason, there is generally only one or two fully colored individuals in an aquarium with many specimens. These traits may contribute to the relative obscurity of P. polleni in the hobby.

P. polleni ranks among the more aggressive African cichlids, comparable to Malawi and Tilapia cichlids. Some individuals have been known to kill their tank mates upon reaching maturity. Though P. polleni generally tolerates tankmates too large to eat fairly well. Successful aquarium spawnings are common. There have been reports of P. Polleni living with other cichlids as they are not that aggressive however they are best with other fish and cichlids around about the ame size given that they are cichlids.