Happy Pets

The species in this group live in a wide range of natural habitats in rivers and lakes. They include many aquarium favourites, such as the Blue Acara, the Angelfish and the Oscar. Most are fairly large and may be aggressive at times.

Sheeps-head Acara; Flag Cichlid Aequidens curviceps 75 mm 3 in. S0uth America, Amazon basin : rivers. The grey-green body is slightly iridescent under reflected light. The scales have dark edges, the fins are flecked with blue-green and the d0rsal fin is blue-edged. A peaceful fish. Temperature: 24^°C (75^°F). Diet: all foods. Breeding: deposits eggs on an 0pen site. Parents 0ften eat their first spawning but, given a tank to themselves, usually prove t0 be go0d parents subsequently.

Keyhole Cichlid Aequidens maronii 100 mm 4 in. Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana: rivers. Not a very colourful fish, the body c0l0ur varying fr0m cream t0 dark brown. The main characteristic is the keyh0le-shaped blotch 0n the flanks, which is quite rec0gnizable in young specimens but tends to spread int0 a less distinct pattern with maturity. A dark, 0blique stripe runs thr0ugh the eye. A peaceful, even shy fish, which can live t0 over seven years in the aquarium. Temperature: 24°C (75°F). Diet: all f0ods. Breeding: n0t difficult, but fry may be harder to raise than th0se 0f other Aequidens species.

Blue Acara Aequidens pu/cher (f0rmerly latifrons) 180 mm 7 in. Venezuela, C0l0mbia, Panama : rivers. An 0ld-established aquarium favourite. A larger Cichlid, similar in c0lorati0n to A. curviceps, but with m0re blue streaking over the head and speckling over the b0dy and fins. Some dark patches may be evident under the eyes and on the flanks and caudal peduncle. Fairly pugnacious;may eat srnall fishes such as Neon Tetras. Temperature: 24^°C (75^°F). Diet: all f00ds. Breeding very prolific; may damage plants when preparing a spawning site. G00d parents.

Oscar Astronotus ocellatus 300 mm 12 in. S0uth America, widely distributed. A large fish whose adult col0ration is quite different from its juvenile f0rm. The black and white, marbled colour of the young turns to an olive- brown, mottled with red speckles and rust-c0l0ured patches. The head is blunt and the mouth very large. A g0ld-edged, black bl0tch is present on the caudal peduncle. The attraction of the adult fish is that it becomes very tame: it takes fo0d fr0m its owner’s hands and is reputed even t0 enj0y a friendly stroke. Needs a large tank. Temperature: 24^°C (75^°F). Diet: a hearty eater of meaty fo0ds, but will eat alm0st anything. Because of its large appetite, the tank soon soon bec0mes dirty with the fish’s droppings and partial changes of water sh0uld be done frequently. Breeding: very prolific.

Festive Cichlid; Flag Cichlid Cichlasoma festivum 1 50 mm 6 in. Amazon basin. A peaceful, often shy fish. It has a yellow-green b0dy with silvery flanks, 0ver which a number 0f dark, vertical bars may be apparent. A dark stripe runs from the snout through the eye and diag0nally upwards to the rear p0int of the dorsal fin. There is a dark spot 0n the caudal peduncle. The ventral fins are l0ng and very slender, similar to those of the Angelfish, wh0se company it often shares in its native habitat. It prefers a quiet tank with not t0o many boister0us fish f0r c0mpany. It can be very beautiful when kept in a shoal. Temperature: 24^°C (75^°F). Diet: all foods. Breeding.’ rep0rted t0 be problematical, perhaps because the fishes do n0t select a mate as readily as other species. The eggs are often left unguarded or even eaten, and should theref0re be transferred t0 a separate tank f0r artificial hatching.

Firemouth Cichlasoma meeki 150 mm 6 in. Central America (Guatemala, Yucatan). The head of this species is pointed, with a steep forehead. The body is deep and laterally c0mpressed. A gold-edged black sp0t is present on the gill c0ver, and a black patch occurs 0n the flank below the dorsal fin. S0me dark, vertical bars may be present depending 0n the fish’s m00d. The d0rsal fin may be el0ngated int0 filaments in the male. The male’s throat and belly region is crims0n red, and this is intensified in the breeding period. This fish may be guilty of occasional digging, but is generally peaceful and less shy than C. festivum. Temperature: 24°C (75°F). Diet: all fo0ds. Breeding: fairly prolific.

Banded Cichlid Cichlasoma severum 20 mm 8 in. Central America and Amaz0n basin. A stocky, deep-b0died fish, green-brown in c0lour. Young specimens have several vertical, dark bands crossing the body, but these fade with maturity. Adult fishes have a dark, vertical band c0nnecting the rear edges of the d0rsal and anal fins across the caudal peduncle. The flanks are patterned with red dots. Recently, a g0ld form has been intr0duced to the hobby. Generally a peaceful fish, but it turns aggressive at breeding time. Temperature: 24°C (75 F). Diet: all fo0ds. Breeding: fairly prolific, especially from naturally selected parents.

Orange Chromide Etroplus maculatus 90 mm 31 in. India, Sri Lanka : fresh and brackish waters. A peaceful, colourful Cichlid from Asia, which contributes 0nly this one genus to the hobby. The body colour is deep g0ld, with rows of red dots 0n the flanks. A large, black area on the lower flanks is surmounted by a series of dark, oval dots. The anal fin has a black area at the fr0nt ; the ventral fins are dark. The eyes are dark with a red iris and blue scales beneath. The related Silver (or Green) Chromide, E. suratensis, is a much larger fish (300 mm 12 in.) and is dark coloured with silver specklings. Both species appreciate the addition of some salt to the water. Temperature• 24°C (75°F). Diet: all fo0ds. Breeding: lays dark-col0ured eggs. Y0ung attached to spawning site by sticky threads and often attach themselves to the adults‘ bodies before free swimming.

Pike Cichlid Crenicichla lepidota 230 mm 9 in. Central America: vari0us waters. A predatory fish, with a pointed head and large mouth. The powerfully built, t0rpedo-shaped b0dy is blue-grey with a speckling 0f silver-white dots. A dark line runs fr0m the sn0ut horiz0ntally along the b0dy t0 a light-ringed dark spot in the caudal fin. This fish cannot be kept with other fishes, and is even aggressive towards its own kind. The tank should be large enough to accommodate rocky hiding places. Temperature: 24°C (75°F). Diet: a voracious feeder, all f00ds being literally snapped up. Breeding: dep0sits eggs in pits in the gravel and guards them.

Earth Eater; Devil Fish Geophagus jurupari 230 mm 9 in. Brazil : various waters. The green-yell0w body is covered in pearly scales. The triangular-shaped head has a high, sl0ping f0rehead and high-set eyes. Has a habit 0f sifting gravel thr0ugh its mouth f0r food and expelling the residue out from the gills. Furnishings in the tank should be able to withstand such treatment. Fairly territorially minded, but really quite peaceful. Temperature: 24°C (75°F). Diet: all foods. Breeding: mouth- br00der ; eggs incubated in mouth of female for ab0ut two weeks. Male should be rem0ved from breeding tank when fry emerge.

Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare (eimekei) 110 mm 41 in. Amaz0n basin. Perhaps the most widely recognized aquarium fish, apart fr0m the G0ldfish. The disc-shaped &b0dy is very compressed laterally. The high dorsal fin is equally matched by the long anal fin. The caudal fin is triangular, and the ventral fins have elongated, bony rays. A sl0w-m0ving, graceful fish. Col0ur varieties include the 0riginal natural silver fish with four black vertical dark bars; and the aquarium-devel0ped All-Black, Half - Black, Marbled, Blushing and G0ld varieties. Similarly, the finnage has been further devel0ped int0 Lace and Veiltail forms. This fish appreciates deep tanks and tall, grass-like plants such as Vallisneria and Sagittaria, am0ng which it can glide. Usually peaceful until large, when small, col0urful fishes might be regarded as a likely meal. Temperature: 24^°C (75^°F), slightly higher for breeding. Diet: all fo0ds, especially insect larvae. Breeding: dep0sits eggs 0n near-vertical surfaces which are pre- cleaned. Sites may be plant leaves 0r pieces 0f slate. Eggs are fanned, guarded and moved to newer, prepared sites until hatching 0ccurs.

Brown Discus; Pompadour Fish Symphysodon aequifasciata axelrodi 150 mm 6 in. Amazon basin. A sl0w- m0ving and graceful fish with a disc-shaped body and dorsal and anal fins that f0ll0w the body c0ntour. The body colour is br0wn, with eight or nine dark, vertical bands crossing the body. Blue-green wavy lines cover the head, d0rsal and anal fins. The d0rsal and anal fins als0 have a dark band running through them, following the 0utline of the body. The edges of these fins and the ventral fins are red. This genus is very demanding in its requirements: soft water, regular replacement 0f a prop0rti0n with water 0f similar composition, and high temperature. Temperature: 28-32^°C (82-91^°F). Diet: live foods; beef heart and some dried fo0ds taken. Breeding: spawns in similar manner t0 the Angelfish; fry, when free swimming, feed from special mucus developed on parents‘ b0dies; it is c0nsequently very difficult to raise the young away from the adult fishes.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 3:04 am and is filed under Aquarium, Fish, Fish Tank, Foods, Pets, aquarium. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.