Polleni and Black Belt

[Simonauv]

Mr Polleni and a young sub-adult black belt. I would LOVE to find them a mate. Polleni is about 25cm long and the black belt about 15 I reckon. Tank still isn't totally clear.. lots of floating crap around still.. getting there though. Mr Polleni is a bad tempered git. I had six and he's killed all of them off... might call him Highlander.

Photos taken this afternoon.

[Priscacara]

Nice looking fish! Highlander sounds appropriate if there can be only one :-). Thinking of a polleni to go in my 6 footer with mixed Americans I plan on getting, wont be near this size beast though!

[Link2Hell]

Nice P. polleni Simon

did he kill the others while they were all juveniles as this seems a trait

with them sometimes

funny fish some don't bother other fish but will target other Polleni, like yours,

some like what I had were such a strong pair that he fretted in the corner of

the tank any time the female was removed

they are an African with an American attitude

got a pair waiting for me at Kev's place seeing how their tank has Salvini and

Longimanus in it at the moment

Blackbelt looks female, what has been touching her fins up .. the Polleni ?

give her some thing with beta carotene and/or astaxanthin and spirulina to get

some more red in her

BTW got your msg and will give you a call on the weekend

[Ged]

They are beautiful specimens Simon.

How difficult will it be sourcing fish of a similar quality?

[Simonauv]

Ged, they are as rocking horse poop down here. I can get baby polleni from time to time (for about $40 each!!!), but this was the first black belt I've seen up in the NW of Tas. I think they turn up more frequently down near Hobart. Ideally, I'd like to get a mate for both of these fish. I think I can get a polleni but I'll have to buy a few 2" fish and grow them on. Mr Polleni here is about 4 years old now so I reckon it's going to be a PITA to find a mate for him and then introduce them safely (for her unless i can get a BIG mumma polleni). I don't like my chances of getting a black belt male though I'll put the word out and see what turns up.

Chris, yup! Mr Polleni has been touching up Mrs Blackbelt. He's nearly twice her size and like I said... he's a big git. He hasn't actually touched her for a while... what you see here is her almost fully recovered (I think she is beautiful!). She looks a whole lot better now than shen they were first introduced. Like you suggested, Mr Polleni systematically cleared out all the other polleni when they were young (4-5" in length), until he was the last man standing.