Nanochromis splendens WC

[Pisces 56]

Roger-Dodger, gerald. Damn! That was quick shipping.

Gerald, you have to frequently take pics and put them here so we can see them.

 

[gerald]

OK but just warning you: don't expect Ekona-quality photos (or clean scratch-free glass).

He mailed them on Sat using "Priority Mail" and they arrived Mon. "Priority" is about 1/3 the cost of "Express Mail" for a 5-6 lb box. Using plenty of water (for thermal stability) and Priority Mail is a better deal than skimping on water and shipping Express Mail.

 

[dwarfpike]

Any luck with them settling in with an update yet?

 

[gerald]

The male was chasing and nipping the female (half his size) more than I trusted, and I think she's not quite sexually mature, so they are separated by a divider now. Both are eating well - mosquito larvae, chopped blackworms, fresh-hatched BS, Ken's veggie flake, and bits of cooked sweet potato. When she gets the mature Nano belly shape and prominent egg tube then I'll pull out the divider and watch what happens. The female especially is unusually active compared with Apistos and kribensis I've kept. She's always zipping from under one pot shard or leaf to the next; rarely just hovering in a sheltered spot like most dwarf cichlids do.

 

[Ekona]

Glad to hear they are doing well and getting TLC!
In time they will get used to their new environment and to the provider of food and come out more - takes several weeks IME.
Good luck with them, G.

 

[gerald]

Female is now plump and green, with ovipositor visible, and actively courting the male through the divider. I pulled out the divider and he immediately began charging her head-on, biting and chasing. So now they are now in side-by-side 10-gal tanks. She spends much of her time gazing lovingly at him through the glass. He tries to ignore her, and when she wont go away he makes full-speed charges at her with audible thumps as he hits the glass. I hope this is just immature jerk behavior that he'll outgrow. I also hope they are the same species. Presently the male is not showing any black edge on the pelvic fins or gold on the cheeks & snout (splendens features), although he did have some gold in the cheeks in Ekona's earlier photos. We'll see what happens as they continue to mature ...

 

[Ekona]

Thanks for the update, Gerald.
As you know, I was uncertain about the ID of the male as well, and that is why I sent you close-up photos of him a day or two before our proposed shipping date, and asked your opinion as to whether you thought he was N. splendens or not, as he did not look (after settling in) exactly like the photos of N. splendens on the internet, etc. However, you were confident that he was splendens and so we went ahead with the transfer.

Wetspot got in two wild Nanos - what they were calling N. splendens and what they were calling N. parilus.
The female is definitely has all the characteristics of N. splendens and the male shows many characteristics of N. splendens, but not exactly like some of the photos and videos on the internet. However he does not show the characteristics of standard parilus (from what I can tell) and I don't think that is what he is. Wetspot has been really good in sending correct species in the past - and don't think they would mix species and call it a pair of the same species just to sell them. But, again, my uncertainty as to what the male was, is why I sent you photos to get your opinion on them before sending them.

When keeping them by themselves they were extremely shy and the male aggressive. Once I added other dwarf cichlids (effectively dithers) both male and female became less reclusive and eventually were out and about frequently. The male would chase the female but not harm her in any way. There were tons of caves, leaves and java moss to provide cover as well so she could quickly find shelter when needed.

I've never bred Nanos before so don't have any experience in how the process would unfold, but I know you have so I'm sure if they are splendens, then you can be successful with them. Let me know what happens and if no success we'll work something out

 

[Ekona]

Here are the photos of the male 'N. splendens' I took of the fish sent to me by Wetspot. And the same photos sent to Gerald before shipping the fish to him.

Any opinions fr0m aquarists on this forum who are knowledgeable with Nanochromis species as to what these are?

Wetspot is, once again, listing N. splendens and I've sent them these photos and asked them for a clarification as to what they are and requested photos of their 'N. splendens' for comparison. I don't know if they have males in stock as that is not specified on their listing.

On the fish below, there does appear to be some black on the pelvic fin spines (N. splendens trait) and no bright silvery iridescent markings on the upper edge of the caudal fin (parilus trait?). So what are they??

Thanks for any opinions.

Male

Same male

Looks like definite N. splendens female

 

[dwarfpike]

Have you sent the pics to Ted Judy via his website? That's the route I'd go.

 

[Ekona]

Good idea - sent him a message via his website. Thanks.

 

[Ekona]

Ted graciously responded to a question sent to him about the photos above, his reply...
"Yes.. I could see the photos... but all I could do is compare them to other photos from people like Anton Lamboj and Oliver Lucanus. The fish in your pics are similar enough that I cannot say that it is not splendens."
Gerald, you may (possibly) be the only person in the U.S. with a pair of N. splendens

 

[gerald]

No pressure intended, huh? Thanks for investigating this! I'm out most of this week and next doing field work, so I dont dare try putting them back together when I'm not going to be home. Mid-Oct i will try them together again.

 

[Ekona]

Great time to be out in the field! And, yes, good call on waiting until present to observe and manage the pair.
I have done some more searching of photos on the internet and I would have to agree with Ted, that it is a very close call on the ID of them. Given the presence of a definite female I'd have to go with calling them a pair of N. splendens. I have not heard anything back from Wetspot regarding my request for helping ID.

 

[gerald]

My female splendens died recently |:>( Cause unknown - nothing obvious. I tried 3 times putting the pair together over the past several months, after their initial separation a few days after receiving them. Each time the male would attack and chase her. The rest of the time they lived in adjoining tanks with a sheet of cardboard in between covering 2/3 of the shared side, so they could see or avoid each other's sight as desired. I usually dropped food in the adjoining corners of their tanks in front of the "open window" area, hoping that feeding close together might help build a bond (or at least tolerance). The female often displayed enticingly in the window, but he would either ram the glass or ignore her. Anyway, i've got a lovely lone male now ...

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Gerald,
I got two pairs from the same shipment. They trace back to Oliver Lucanus in Canada. I already had one spawn, but the parents ate the entire fry within a couple of days. Next time, I'll be smarter.
Janos

 

[Anders247]

Those fish are awesome...... Congratulations!

 

[gerald]

Glad to know there's more splendens around in good hands ... you never know how long it might be before hard-to-get fish like those might come in again. If you hear of anybody needing a male in USA, you can let them know I've got one. Hopefully his misogyny will disappear with age.

 

[gerald]

Here's the male now ... almost a year after Ekona's photos above. It's hard to see against the dark background, but he's developed a black spot in the back of the dorsal very much like a N. teugelsi. Sorry I couldn't get him to spread his fins better in the photo tank. Do you all still think he's a true N. splendens? ... and has anybody heard from Ekona (Dave) lately?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

... and has anybody heard from Ekona (Dave) lately?

I haven't heard from him, but he has been active on the <"Parosphromenus Project"> forum (I'm not a member, but I visit every couple of weeks).

As you can see from the front page he seems to be having a great success with his Liquorice Gouramis.

cheers Darrel

 

[gerald]

OK so Dave has graduated into Anabantoid-hood.
Mark Denaro always said a cichlid-keeper is just an Anabantoid-keeper in training.