Please allow ActiveX content to Run, content here will be replaced by the gallery.

General Information

Scientific Name:

Paretroplus menarambo - Allgayer 1996

Common/Native Name:

Pinstripe Damba / Damba menarambo

Type Locality:

Lake Sarodrano

Pronunciation:

Par-ETRO-plus men-ar-AM-bo

Etymology:

 

 Back to Top

Species Details

Maximum Size:

10 inches Standard Length

Identification:

 

Population differences:

No observed population differences

Sexual Morphology:

 

First Description:

Description d'une especes nouvelle du genre Paretroplus Bleeker (Teleostei: Cichlidae) de Madagascar

in: Revue Francaise des Cichlidophiles; No.159

Synonyms:

No known synonyms

 Back to Top

Habitat Information

Distribution/Collection Locales:

Lake Sandrano and some small satilite lakes.

Conservation Status:

Presumed to have been extinct from 1996 to 2006, this species was recently rediscovered in the Sandrano region.

Typical Habitat:

Lacustrine species preferring slow flowing water

Typical Water Parameters:

 

Cohabitates with:

 

 Back to Top

Husbandry Information

Origin of Captives:

North American populations stem from a collection in 1993; European populations arise from a 1991 collection

Aggressiveness:

Can be very aggressive in tight confines

Tank Size:

Recommend 75 - 110 gallon, more for breeding

Feeding:
In captivity

Will accept flake, bloodworms, chopped earthworms, tubifex/blackworms, and some pelleted food. Hesitantly take waxworms and mealworms.

Water Parameters:

Undemanding

pH: <7.3; Temperature: 75-85 °F (Note: eggs and fry should be raised no lower than 85°F); dGH & dKH: 1-5°

Tank Filtration/Set-up:

Smaller systems using undergravel filtration and weekly 30-50% water changes

Larger systems using cartridge or pressurized sand filtration.

"...most Paretoplus species, like to eat plants and in my experience it is not possible to maintain plants with them, even the Anubias are destroyed" (Observations by P. de Rham).

Dr. Loiselle also notes that Kiener, in his work on the fish of Madagascar (Poissons, pêche et pisciculture à Madagascar) mentions that Paretroplus are known to eat Water Lilly and Aponogeton bulbs.

Breeding Requirements:

Species requires lots of room for breeding. Allow pairs to form naturally and remove unpaired individuals. Specimens will site clean on a variety of substrates (terra-cotta pots, driftwood, tufa stone) before beginning to spawn.

For a detailed account of spawning this species see:

Saunders, A.R. 2002

Captive Husbandry and Reproduction of Paretroplus menarambo Allgayer 1996: A large cichlid from Madagascar's Western Versant

in: Buntbarsche Bulletin (209) April 2002; pp 9 - 17

Originally published in Buntbarsche Bulletin, official publication of the American Cichlid Association (ACA). To join the ACA, or to find out more about the organization, please visit www.cichlid.org.

 Back to Top