East Coast Ugly

The East Coast Ptychochromis (Ptychochromis cf grandidieri Ambila-Lemaitso) is a cichlid fish from the North East Coast of Madagascar. Rare in its limited natural range it has been unfairly been labelled the East Coast Ugly and is certainly the swan the grows into a slug. Large, grey with exaggerated features, this fish will not win any beauty contests but it is sure to keep your heart if you manage to find. Very few exist in captivity and I have the only breeding group in Europe! Currently this consists of 9 adults and around 50 juvenilles which I will release to the European hobby. Manage to find these stunners and you will need a reasonable sized aquarium as they can grow to a good 20cm in length and old males can be pretty cantanerous... These cichlids are basal in the family Cichlidae; that is they are a relic species which like the famous lemurs, has evolved in isolation for a very long time. Although superficially similar to Central American cichlids they are in no way closely related. Theyvare a fine example from the fascinating Ptychochromin lineage and along with Heterochromis, Retroculus and Cichla they are probably the most ancient of all cichlid fishes. They are an evolutionists dream and a fascinating species to boot. Search them out!!!