Who Gives A Fish Forums

I recently received an albino Pelvicachromis pulcher male, donated by someone who was heading off to Italy and had no one to care for her fish. She thought he was a goldfish, just like the others in the tank - that's about the extent of her fish knowledge. The goldfish didn't make it, but this little guy was hiding in the corner, just waiting for a better life.

He's a real looker, even if he is albino. I've noticed his eyes can darken, but they're usually a beautiful shade of red. I'll be getting him an albino female companion in a couple of weeks, courtesy of a local store that sells them. For now, he's enjoying the fresh air and sunshine on my balcony in his spacious new tank.

I managed to snap a few photos, but had to temporarily move him to a smaller container - these cichlids can be quite shy, as you know. I've named him Sammy, and as you can see from the pictures, his eyes can change color. In a couple of the photos, they're almost black, but the top one shows off his stunning red eyes.

He's indeed a pretty boy, isn't he? Glad he ended up in good hands, which is yours.

I've never had the pleasure of seeing an albino Kribensis, or Pelvicachromis pulcher as you correctly put it, but I've always affectionately referred to them as "kruhbinz" - that's just how it was pronounced back then. They're definitely one of my favorite dwarf cichlids. I truly hope you're able to find a suitable mate for Sammy, it would be wonderful to see him thrive with a companion.

Snout wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 1:57 pm He's indeed a pretty boy, isn't he? Glad he ended up in good hands, which is yours.

Honestly, I still refer to them as kribensis. Guess old habits die hard.

I'd love to know more about Sammy - what's his age and size?

I had a go at breeding some fish that were supposed to be albino P subocellatus about 20 years ago. Luckily, more than half the fry turned out to have normal colouring, which made it clear they were actually pulcher. I ended up getting rid of the albinos through an auction, but kept some pairs of the normally coloured ones for a while. To be honest, they weren't the most impressive compared to other pulcher I'd seen - the colouring just wasn't that great once they developed it.

They're nice fish, though - aside from the mix-up over the name, that is. I mean, Pelvicachromis kribensis is a different species altogether, but I suppose the importers 70 years ago got it wrong. Still, pulcher are up there among my favourite aquarium fish, just behind the real kribensis.

wandg wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:42 pm I'd love to know more about Sammy - what's his age and size?

About 4 inches.

graye said:

I bred some that were sold to me as albino P subocellatus, probably 20 years ago. Luckily, over half the fry had regular colouration, so I could see they were pulcher. I got rid of the albinos in an auction and kept pairs of the regular ones for a while, but compared to other pulcher around, they were no beauties. It wasn't a nice colour morph, once it had colour.

Nice fish though, other than the name confusion (Pelvicachromis kribensis is a different species, but importers 70 years ago made a mistake). It's one of my favourite aquarium fish, not far behind the real krib.

Usually, I prefer wild colours, but there's something about this albino that I just can't help but like.

Just added some new pictures of Sammy.