hi everyone

today I went to a different lfs than i usually do, and guess what? They have crowned pearlies!! yay i always wanted a pearlscale, but i never saw one available around here, and i do space for one, too LOL . they have some really nice 4-5 inchers, their bodies were really round and deep, and had the cutest black button eyes, they seem almost perfect they also have one-inch babies pearlies. but they were not looking so hot. they have split fins and red streaks, but those could be fix with a little TLC. But they also lost some of their pearl scales, and not really round. I never had any experiences with this breed before, soooo.. some Q's! lol

-will they get rounder with age?

-will the pearl scales be able to grow back?

-will their crowns grow with age too?

-do they need any special care?

and no, i didn't buy any .....yet

but one day, after i done all my research about them cute li'tle pearlies, i might bring one home with me

Well they are usaully chubby, but again chubbiness varies with genetics, so is the wen they grow, trust me it'll grow bigger. But yes sadly, when they loose their scales they grow back "normal" scales. I don't know about special care, I guess not too much current as they do get pretty round with age.

some people say they're slow and should make sure they get there share of food ..well my pearlscale wobbles all over the tank ,drop a peice of food in there and she's a stealth !!!! I have to make sure my other fish get there share..when it comes to food ,in my opinion pearscales are the biggest pigs of them all !

My pearlie wasn't too round when I got him, he was only about an inch. Now he's twice as long AND twice as round, so yes, they can get rounder with age


I completely agree! Fred is a HUGE pig and has no problems getting around.

I really like pearlscales. Fred is my first but definatly won't be my last

I wouldn't recommend getting the little ones if they're in rough shape. I've lost quite a few in quarantine from the chain stores in that size. They really don't seem to handle the stress of shipping and then getting home well in my experience. They don't seem as hardy as some of the other fancies, and that's saying something.

The pearls can grow back, but not necessarily as perfectly as before. It takes a long time. Mine lost all his scales on one side as a baby in an accident, but they regrew with pearls, albeit funny looking ones.

They will get rounder, but the longer less round ones don't grow up as round as the marbles do.

Very small ones haven't dealt well with big filters, I had to sponge over the intakes in my big quarantine tank to keep the little ones form sticking to it.

-I have found this to be true. So when choosing a good pearlie, always go for the nicest shape possible, you want them to resemble as close to a marble as possible.

I however have found that any scales lost will grow back without the 'pearl', the tend to be more curved than normal flat scales, but the white lump that resembles the pearl is missing, this will never grow back, -you want to choose a pearly that hasn't had any scale damage (I know it's difficult when they've been imported and shipped to your lfs, they get tossed around a lot in transit and often have at least a couple missing ...)

The are slowly and they can't take fast currets..i lost Bandit to a filter last night

Dunno if they always grow back, but I think saying never isn't accurate. It may depend on whether the scale is growing back from scratch or it is a small ding that scrapes the bump off. I am not sure on why they sometimes do and sometimes don't.

This guy had his pearls regrow after an injury, as I mentioned. You can see a circle of irregular scales just behind his head where they regrew, but in a strange pattern and not all the same size:

http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/ch...nt=IMG_4691.jpg

This guy bit a few scales off his sibling quite a while ago, and those seemed to come back to some degree but not as completely.

thanks everyone if i ever got one, i am planning to keep him in my 30 gal pond outside, with greenwater, will pearlies do well in pond? thanks for the advice guys, i will look for "marbles" the next time i go lol the big ones they had look very marblish lol