Starry Night Cichlid

About

A black cichlid dusted with gold spangles — a starry night sky with fins, hence the trade name. To Malagasy fishermen it is simply marakely, 'the black fish'. Its ancestry is as striking as its looks: the subfamily it belongs to, Ptychochrominae, lives only on Madagascar and is thought to be one of the earliest branches of the whole cichlid family tree. In the wild, this old lineage is struggling. The IUCN rates the species Vulnerable: populations on the island of Nosy Be are holding for now, but on the mainland deforestation is eating its habitat, irrigation schemes are draining its rivers, and introduced largemouth bass and snakeheads are pushing it out of what remains. Every generation bred in an aquarium is a small act of conservation. One more thing before you buy: the trade name covers more than one fish. Small-spotted and large-spotted forms are widely treated as distinct, and sellers sometimes label the large-spotted one P. bleekeri, but science has confirmed none of these splits — formally, every form is still polleni. So never mix the forms in one tank. They hybridise freely, and the gene pool of a fish this rare is no place for experiments. And don't let the spangles fool you. This is no dwarf cichlid but an ambush hunter that grows to 28 cm; smaller fish are food, its own kind are rivals, and it is kept alone or as a bonded pair.

Care

A pair needs a tank at least 150 cm long and around 300 litres. You will sometimes see 120 cm quoted as a minimum, but a large pair's territory can claim a good metre of tank floor, so start bigger. Sand is the best substrate, though fine gravel will do; for cover, add clay pots, roots and driftwood. Plant without sentiment: the fish appreciate plants as shelter, but a pair about to spawn digs a sizeable pit in the substrate. On paper the water is forgiving — pH 6.5–8.0, 8–25 °dH, best at 22–27 °C — but the fish itself is not: it takes sudden parameter swings badly, so stick to small, frequent water changes. Its other weak spot is velvet; this species is particularly prone to it. With neighbours its own size it stands its ground without hunting for trouble, and in a big tank it gets along with Rift Lake cichlids or milder Central American species. The line is clear, though: anything under about a third of its length will sooner or later be eaten, and it has no tolerance for its own kind — a bonded partner excepted.

Diet

A fish-eater in nature, yet one of the easiest predators to feed: it needs no live fish and takes dead food readily. Base the diet on live and frozen foods, with dried food as part of the mix — variety matters most. One hard rule: no mammal or bird meat of any kind.

Telling males from females

What works for this species, most reliable first.

• Extended finsStrong · from about 8 months, and later in a suppressed male

  On many cichlids and killifish the male's dorsal and anal fins draw out into trailing points as he matures, while the female's stay rounded.

• VentingA hint only · only on a mature fish, easiest when she is in breeding condition

  The method breeders use when the answer has to be right. Hold the fish upside down in a wet hand or soft net and look at the two openings ahead of the anal fin. The forward one is the anus; the one behind it is what you are reading.

• Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age

  In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.

Also in these lists

Similar species

Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.

Sold in Lithuania

These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.

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Frequently asked questions

What tank size does a Starry Night Cichlid need?

A Starry Night Cichlid needs an aquarium of at least 300 litres (79.3 US gallons) with a footprint at least 150 cm (59.1 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.

What water parameters does a Starry Night Cichlid need?

Starry Night Cichlid does best at 17–28 °C (62.6–82.4 °F), pH 6.5–8 and a general hardness of 8–25 °dGH.

Is the Starry Night Cichlid suitable for beginners?

Starry Night Cichlid is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.

Sources

• Seriously Fish — Paratilapia polleni
• FishBase — Paratilapia polleni Bleeker, 1868 (Black Diamond Madagascar cichlid)
• Cichlid Room Companion — Paratilapia polleni
• Cichlid Room Companion — genus Paratilapia
• Wikipedia — Cichlid
• Fish Laboratory — Starry Night Cichlid (Paratilapia polleni)
• Tropical Treasures — Starry Night Cichlid Care Guide (Paratilapia polleni)