PD: An oval-shaped cichlid and laterally compressed cichlid. The caudal penuncle is characteristically short, while the dorsal fin of males is highly elongated. The eye is large. The male is much more colorful than the female. His back and upper-parts are olive brown to light brown, as is his belly. The flanks are iridescent blue to green, as are the cheeks. Depending on the mood the fish may display two dark, lateral stripes, and faint transverse markings. The dorsal fin begins as red, but turns green as it approaches the rear. This fin is tipped with a red edge. A white line parallels this red edging. The anal and caudal fins are red to blue or green. The females coloration is much blander. Several color morphs are common. At spawning times the female's coloration changes to a lattice-pattern that crisscrosses on her body. SIZE: Males to 3.5" (9 cm), females to 2" (5 cm) SS: Nannacara aureocephalis HAB: South America; Western Guyana S: bottom, middle TANK: A tank measuring 24” (61 cm) with a capacity of 20 gallons (75 L) is adequate. The tank should be heavily planted at the corners and back. Provide hiding places with rocks, roots, and wood. Allow open areas for free-swimming. WATER: pH 6.2-7.5 (7.1), 3-14 dH (10), 72-81°F (22-27°C) SB: Outside of spawning season, this cichlid is peaceful. The Golden Dwarf Cichlid does not uproot or harm plants. This fish can be combined with small fish of the upper swimming levels. SC: Tetras, Hatchetfish, Corydoras, Loricarids, Gouramis. FOOD: Live; worms, insect larvae, aquatic insects, crustaceans; flakes; pellets. SEX: Males are considerably larger, have elongated anal and dorsal fins, and are more colorful. B: Use water with a pH from 6.2-6.5, a water hardness of 4-12 dH, and a temperature from 79-86°F (26-30°C). Some authors suggest peat filtration to help stimulate spawning, although most agree that this is unnecessary. Up to 300 eggs are laid in a previously cleaned cave. The male should be removed at this point or else he may be bullied to death by the female. The female continues her care for the young and the fry. The eggs hatch after 2-3 days when they are moved to a shallow pit. The young are free-swimming 4-5 days further. They can be fed on crushed dry foods and Brine Shrimp nauplii. The female attracts the young by vibrating and jerking her body. BP: 6. Breeding is fairly easy. R: Several geographical/coloration populations are widely available including orange, red, black, and mottled morphs. Most fish available to the hobby are captive-bred, thus less colorful. DC: 3. An ideal fish for an aquariast wanting to ease their way into care for other cichlids. Recent articles about fish Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees (2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health. Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees (10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine. Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater (12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina. |
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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009 The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me. |
