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A
charming little fellow which seems to go unnoticed by the tankmates
but definitely not by humans. It is an interesting observation that
this fish is not chased by any other fish. It may well be that the
markings and / or the shape of this fish clearly identify it from
the rest and therefore they leave it in peace. This is even more
surprising given the fact that most of the species I keep have males
with blue heads. The photo above shows my 15 month old P. steveni
which has not got its final coloration yet.
This
fish - as with many haps - takes a long time to develop the full
coloration and this is a pity because it doesn't attract the
hobbyist unless it is fully grown up which makes it a bit expensive.
Sometimes, you have to add a female otherwise the male may stay with
the color combination shown in the photo. If you can find it just
get it - you won't be disappointed. The coloration of the adult male
is blue / yellow sides with a vivid red anal fin. Since the color
and shape of the fish is unique among the species I keep, the fish
is not "forced" by rival males to show his full color. The
vertical bars may be visible at times. The male grows to
approximately 14 cm.
Top
photo shot in March 2000; bottom photo shot in January
2000. See next page for
more photos. |
