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Senin, 31 Mei 2010

[uNGu]™ Fish : Ropefish - Erpetoichthys calabaricus

Ropefish

Erpetoichthys calabaricus




Overview:
    An ancient species that has become common in the trade they are related to Bichirs and have similar needs.
Quick stats:
    Listed tank sizes are the minimum
    Size: Up to 35" (90cm) Total Length
    Tank: 55+ gallons
    Strata: Bottom
    PH: 6.0 to 7.5
    Hardness: Soft to hard. dH range: to 22.0
    Temperature: 79°F to 86°F (26-30°C)
Classification:
    Family: Polypteridae
    Order: Polypteriformes
    Class: Actinopterygii
    Genera: Erpetoichthys
    Species: Calabaricus


Common name:
    Reedfish, Ropefish

Image gallery:
    Additional species photographs
Discuss:
    Badmans' Forum

    ropefish Photo courtesy of Aqualand pets plus

Distribution
    Africa: Cameroon and the Niger river. Ogun River mouth in Nigeria to Chiloango River in Congo Brazzaville Reedfish at fish base

General Body Form::
    Long and snakelike, there are no Ventral fins. The dorsal fin is broken up in a series of ten or eleven individual small finlets which is usually not extended so rarely seen. The anal fin is similar with the males having twelve to fourteen rays and the female nine to twelve


Coloration:
    Not a striking fish the body is basically green, with the exception of the belly being yellow and the Black spots at the base of the pectoral fins


Maintenance:
    The most important aspect of keeping the reedfish is a very tight fitting cover, they are escape artist and will fit out of the smallest holes. If they do manage to escape they have been known to survive for several hours out of water and it may be possible to save it if found in time. The aquarium should be heavily planted and provide plenty of hiding areas among roots or driftwood. Good filtration and the addition of some sea salt is beneficial. Try to keep a minimum of two fish. Generally peaceful and will get along with most fish, try to avoid keeping them with large Cichlids. The reedfish is a nocturnal eater and can be easily fed on crustaceans and insect larvae and can adapt to the more meat like available foods such as tubifex, bloodworms and earthworms. They will eat smaller fish if given the chance

Biotope:
    Heavily vegetated Swamp or marsh areas of the Niger river delta
Breeding:
    Unknown          

[uNGu]™ Fish : Dwarf Puffer - Carinotetraodon travancorius

Dwarf Puffer

This dwarf pufferfish, Carinotetraodon travancorius, is the smallest pufferfish in the world (at least in the aquarium hobby). There are some other pufferfish spieces could be regarded as "dwarf", such as the South-Ameriacan puffer, but, it is the most common (at least in the pufferfish mailing list) to refer to this pufferfish as "Dwarf Puffer". My first dwarf puffers were about 1.5cm long when I bought them in 1999. I couldn't keep them more than 2 years, but they had got 3cm long in the 2 years. They begun breeding a half year after I got them. Now (Dec. 2001), I'm keeping 2 of the second generations and some of the third generations.
I got many helps in breeding dwarf puffer from former members of the Pufferfish mailing list. I quoted an message about the scientific name posted by Manuela on the Pufferfish mailing list. I'm borrowing great pictures of microorganisims from Wim van Egmond.

Appearance

Body shape is as photo. Color of eyes can changes to black, blue-green and dark orange by the reflection of light. Each eyes move any directions independently. The mouth pouted a little is normally half-opened and is occasionally opened widely - yawning. Each fins except tail fin is moving busily. The tail fin can be opened like a secter and be closed like a tail of tadpole. She in this photo has dark green spots and small dots on the yellow back. But they can changes the color of their back to light-brown, and can fade the color of these spots.

Water Condition

I had not known proper temp. and pH of water when I started keeping this fish. Temp. of my heater always was fixed at 27°C(80°F), but in this summer, it raised over 30°C(86°F) once in a while. I thought it's bad for the puffers and I searched the information within the Internet. I found some descriptions such as "22°C - 29°C", "around 25°C", "weak alkaline - weak asidic", and so on. This fish seems to be well in wide conditions.

Foods

Frozen Bloodworms 

It's most favorite food of my puffers. They jumps to eat it. I've feeding it to them once or twice a day since I started keeping them.

Live Tubifex Worms

I can NOT recommend it because many people claim that it can be a carrier of  bacterial infections. I feed live tubifex bought from a reliable shop to them occasionally (twice at a month or so).

Live Bloodworms

I've read that the term 'live bloodworms' often means live tubifex in the U.S., but that I mean now is true live bloodworms (midge-fly larvae). I bay it from a local FISHING shop (not a fish shop). It has been sold as a bait. It's pretty bigger than frozen one. My puffers seems love to eat it as well as frozen one.

Snails 

Snails seems to be a good live food for puffers. Many members of the Pufferfish mailing list uses it as puffers food. I'm keeping pond snails in other tank (Bee-shrimp tank) as puffers food, and I've tried it to my puffer, But I myself have never seen that my puffer eating it. But it's also true that no snails appears in my planted tank.

Flakes

Mine ignore flake foods.

Fins

If you kept another fish with dwarfs, they dwarfs eats a fin of another fish when they got hangry.

Common Names

Here in Japan, they are refered as "Abeni puffer". But nobody, at least peoples I asked, knows what "Abeni" means, fish shop clearks so, another pufferfish homepages so and aquaristic magazines so. It's simular pronounciation as a French word "avenir" for Japanese. Maybe the name was given by exporter/importer or someone in distributions, but It's still mistery.
In Ian's Homepages (U.K.), they are refered as "Dwarf puffer",  and also several synonyms.  Another homepage says they are called "Malabar pufferfish" in India. "Malabar" looks like a place name in Kerala state, southwest India ("Travancore" is also place name in Kerala state.).  Also I found the name "Malabar-Kugelfisch" and "Zwergkugelfische (dwarf pufferfish)" in a German homepage.

Scientific Name

I had been not sure what exactly is the scientific name of dwarf puffer. I found some different names such as Tetraodon travancorius,Tetraodon travancoricus,Monotretus travancoricus, Monotetrus Travancoricus and so on in the Internet and in a Japanese aquaristics magazine. But now I realized my dwarf puffers are "Carinotetraodon travancorius" and also there are two spiecies (at least now) in so called "dwarf puffer".
Thanks: The descriptions below (written in Italic letters) are quoted from the messages on the ONEList Pufferfish mailing list with the agreement of Manuela who posted this.
Message-ID:
Carinotetraodon travancorius 
The travancorius has been defined as Monotreta (a subgenus of Tetraodon) travancorius - which surely isn't right. It must be a Carinotetraodon becauso of the combs and the sexual dichromatism of the males that is similar to the lortedi; no other pufferfish does have this.
There are two variations of the travancorius: the one you keep
with big spots at the side and small ones on the back; and one I do keep with big
spots at the side and on the back.
*)The 'comb' (or 'crest') means that swelling part appears along the black line of male's belly when he is threatening others or is in courtship behavior.

Carinotetraodon imitator 
The imitator has been defined correctly as Carinotetraodon. But it isn't clear now
if the travancorius and the imitator are the same species (different colour vari-
ations) or not. I think that there won't be a scientist soon who will try to find
this out. But it is known that they are imported from different places, so both
things are possible.

Way of Sexing

It is diffcult to sex young dwarf puffers, but if your dwarf puffers grown enough, you can sex them easily by the following way:
  • Male has brown virtical line on his belly.
  • Female has no such a line.
"Brown virtical line"…When a male doing courtship behaviour or other aggresive work, this line got dark brown and thicker. When not so, got light brown and thinner. Left:Normal time, Right: When he threatening another.

"Wrinkles behind eyes"…Two males of mine has this (and females hasn't), but It may just be an indivisuality.
  "Body shape of female"…female is rounder than male. Especially spawning season.

Tank Mates

In general, almost all kind of puffers is fin nipper. Or large spiecies can eat another fishes. Dwarf puffer is tiny but is also fin nipper. They nips a caudal fin (tail fin) of another kind of fish and even fellows. They does it when they are hungly, so you can keep another some kinds with them if you could feed enough and didn't make them hungly.
In my experience, Otocinclus can be kept with them. At the first time I introduced Otos into the puffer tank, dwarf puffers nipped the caudal fin of Otos. But gradually Otos would swim away when puffers come around thier backward. Otos might learned from the pain...? Now, they have getting along (or ignoring each others).

Breeding

I heard it is not so often that a puffer spawn in a captivity. They spawned after about a half year since I got them. There is summary of what happened in the spawning season in this page. I'm happy if this would be help who intended to breeding dwarf puffer. They keep spawning even now, I will add the progress to this page.

Outline

I had kept six (two males and four females) dwarf puffers since April, 1999. When I brought them in my tank, they seemed to be just like kids, were one or one and half centimeter long. At first time, they all were in the Tank 1. Tank 1 was not densely planted then, had a few plants and two 10x10cm stones in it. When I saw courtship behavior first was about five months later (Sep. 12, 1999). A male has following a female after and snuggling to her. I saw such activities every day after the day. One day, two males did fights very hard. I thought if one might kills the other, so I bought a new tank (Tank 2) and did isolate three (a male and two females) of them to the new tank. Soon after the day, I saw spawning and then found a egg in the Tank 1. A few days after, I found eggs in the Tank 2. They seemed to get into spawning season at the same time.

Courtship Behavior and Spawning

I saw a courtship behavior at a day a half year after I started keeping them.

Courtship Behavior

  • Male snuggling to female and kissing her body with chasing her. Female swims slowly as usual, but male swims with wiggling, that is a sequence of a quick and a little step.
  • In case female goes away from male, Male attacks her hard and occasionally bites her.
  • In case female does not goes away, male swims beside female and female gradually goes into a narrow space such as a corner of a tank or a shade of plants. Maybe female is searching a good place to spawn.
  • While they doing this behavior, the male attacks another fellows (without regard to sex) when he found them. But the male does not attack Otocinclus.
  • In case a male and two females are kept in the same tank, male do the courtship behavior with each females, i.e. they three does not make a pair.
  • In the tank mentioned above, when a male and a female doing the courtship behavior, the other female keeps hiding and still behind something such as plants.  

Spawning 

  • Once female decides a place to spawn, male nestles closely up to the female. Both male and female shakes each body little by little for about 5 or 10 seconds, that is spawning and releasing sperm.
  • In the case of mine, almost all spawning was done in/under a mass of Willow moss. It was done rarely by a stem under a big leaf of Anubias Nana.
  • Male drives out female when spawning done.

Other Points

  • While spawning season, the courtship behavior (and maybe spawning) would be done almost every day.
  • The courtship behavior and spawning must be done at evening.
  • The courtship behavior was done after layout change of a tank and after completely tank cleaning.

Male's Behaviors in Spawning Season

This section is described that the behavior and the appearance of male dwarf puffer in spawning season except courtship behavior and spawning mentioned above. Both male and female does something had never ever seen in spawning season.
Changing Appearance
  • Brown vertical line appears on the belly.
  • Body shape get pretty sharp and less round than of female.
  • Patterns of back are almost always fading (as light brown) as compared with females yellow back.
  • Top and bottom edge of tail fin get more yellow than before.
  • Patterns on the side get together and to make a line.
Doing Serious Fight With Another Male 
I saw such a fight once, then I worried that if the two males would being together as they are, they would doing fight to death, so I moved the one male and two bride candidates to the other tank. Because of this, I'm not sure whether they do fights to death or not if they were in a same tank for a long period in a spawning season. But I can say it should be considered that separating males in the season. The fight is as follows:
Two males started pecking each other (that is a little fight as usual). A few second later, they two males transformed flatly as if his body was pressed from the side. (this photo had been taken when he started such a transformation and would fight with the other one on the other side of the partition. this was taken at another day.) They ran on the same circle about five rounds. Then they clashed. One bit left side of belly of the other very hard and they gone down behind a mass of willow moss. A few seconds later, they got out of the moss and gone away. After that, I looked at left side of belly of one was bitten, there is something like a wound or wrinkle.
I set a breeding box in the tank and put the one was bitten into the box. Next day I set a partition in the tank and separated each one male and two females to half tank. At last, I set up a new tank and moved tree of them to the tank.
Photo: Two males are going to start such a fight.


Eating Less Amount Of Food
Males does not jump to food and eats less amount of food than females.
Doing Patrol
Until evening, both males and females swims peacefully. From evening to night, males will starts patrolling around a tank (especially around a mass of willow moss) and drives out females very hard from there. Females did often hide behind a leaf of plants.
Keeping Strong Wariness
Every time I get close to the tank, Males do react (get away) extremely. On the other hand, Females doesn't react such.

Place to Spawn

In case of mine, almost all spawning was done in/under a mass of Willow moss(Fontinalis antipyretica). It was done rarely by a stem under a big leaf of Anubias Nana. I think the place they will spawn is :
  • a narrow space (that is not enclosed by something hard could hurt their body)
  • and where difficult to be found from outside
In my puffer tanks, willow moss is rounded softly and has just been placed between stone, filter pipe and back wall of the tank. It's convenient to pick the eggs up and maybe it would be a good hiding place for fry. But willow moss would be dying gradually because of lack of light.

Eggs

New egg is about 1mm, transparent, has no adhesion and has a little white part. A small number of eggs I found were wind eggs (were cloudy white).

New eggs - almost transparent After a day -  get light brawn and eyes(?) After two to three days - expands light brawn part  After four days - almost light brown

Hatch and Larvae

In case of mine, eggs hatch for about 5 days (27°C). At the time this photo was taken, the fry keep still with such a pose for about 20 seconds or so, then got off the egg, swam toward surface and sank to bottom.
 Newly hatched fry is :
  • tiny (about 1 - 1.5mm),
  • like a drosophila which wrenched blade and foot,
  • basically, transparent, around head and base of tail got orange-colored,
  • has yolk-sac,
  • almost being quiet, swims toward the surface when water flow came, stop swimming at the surface, sank to the bottom as if he did die, and being quiet again at the bottom.

Fry (Within a Week)

For about four days, they start to swim. They are almost still yet,  but sometime run through the bottom of tank and hover nearby willow moss. Appearance is exactly different when they hatched. At first, eyes can be seen clearly, black dot is in the center of gold or light brown eyes. And They can already moves eyes like adult dwarfs does. Outline of body would be as fish. Fins can be seen too. Maybe fins can already moves because they can hover. Brownish color of body gone as compared with when they hatched. At this time, they doesn't eat yet.
For about five to six days, they grows about 3mm. Time to be still would be shorten, they swims around almost all time (except sleeping time). Sometimes they eats white tiny (2mm long) creatures like a earthworm. They chases baby brine shrimps,  but doesn't eat yet.
In my tank, two fry died on a heater. Maybe they were burned by heater when they sat on it. Heater cover may not work due to the size of fry. In my case, I moved the heater to just below exit of water from filter.

Fry (a Week After)

Fry a week after hatching start feeding baby brine shrimps. How much they fed could be seen by looking at  the belly of them. It will turn orange in color when they got fullness. This photo is fry ten days after hatching.
Fry a few weeks after hatching can kill fry a few days after hatching. (I'm not sure if they 'ate' them or not.)

Fry (a Month After)

Fry will be the same body shape as adult  when about a month after hatching. The spots on back would be clear. But the back doesn't get yellow yet and belly doesn't get perfect white yet (orange color of brine shrimp in the stomach could be seen through.). They would be able to feed a smaller bloodworms and a tiny cut of tubifex worms.
Fry in this age, when they were hungry, can kill fry a few weeks after hatching by biting off. I'm not sure if they 'ate' them or not. Separating bigger fry and smaller fry is necessary.

 

Fry Foods

Fry of dwarf puffer would feed brine shrimp for a week after hatching. They feed only moving food for a few weeks. They would feed (small) frozen bloodworms for a month.
Infusoria
A Group of Paramecium

Copyright © Wim van Egmond

Rabu, 26 Mei 2010

[uNGu]™ Fish : Cichlasoma Managuense - Jaguar Cichlid

Jaguar Cichlid



Image courtesy of The Gooch

 
Quick Stats
Scientific Name: Nandopis Managuense, Nandopis Managuensis, Cichlasoma Managuense, Parachromis Managuensis
Distribution: Central America – Honduras to Costa Rica, Lake Managua, Lake Nicaragua
Size: Males to 20", females to 12 to 15"
Common Names: Jaguar Cichlid, Jaguar Guapote, Aztec Cichlid, Tiger Guapote, Managuense
Temperature: 77 to 88 degrees F (25 to 31 degrees C)
pH: 7-8

(spawning pair)
Image courtesy of Oscar_Andy
General Characteristics
A beautiful but highly predatory cichlid, Jaguar's are all muscle , teeth and bad temper when full grown. Docile, quiet, sometime even shy when juveniles, maturity brings out the true nature of this stunning fish. With dramatic black spots on a pale, iridescent background, it is easy to see one of the reasons this fish gets its most common name. The other reason is the hunting practices of this large predator. Stealthy and quiet, sneaking up behind its prey then lunging forward to engulf its meal whole in its huge protractile mouth, this fish hunts much like its feline namesake.
When young, the Jaguar's distinctive pattern of black spots is somewhat mottled and indistinct. Once males reach maturity at around 5", this pattern develops into a pattern of large black spots along the lateral line, with smaller spots covering the rest of its body. Females patterning tends to stay similar to juvenile coloration throughout their life. There is also a Gold Morph Jaguar available that has the same black pattern on a pale gold background. Gold Morph Jaguar's are still quite uncommon, and it can be hard to differentiate between them and a regular Jaguar until the fish reach a decent size.

(spawning pair)
Image courtesy of Oscar_Andy
Jaguar's are not in any way, shape or form a suitable fish for a community tank. While young, they can be raised with other large cichlids such as Oscar's, Jack Dempsey's and Green Terror's, but as they approach maturity, they will soon take over your tank and start eliminating tankmates. They are another fish who have a habit of extending their territory beyond the walls of their tank, so don't be at all surprised if you get charged for simply passing by on the way to the refrigerator. Jaguars are not considered "tank-busters" for nothing and it is wise to set up your Jaguar tank away from high traffic areas of the house. 180 gallons of water and one highly annoyed fish are not what anyone wants to have spilled all over their floor.

Aquarium Set Up
Given the size that a male Jaguar can reach, you can understand why a large aquarium is needed for these fish. The minimum size for a single fish is 180 gallons, and much larger is needed if you are trying to keep a pair, something in the range of 300 gallons or larger. The Jaguar's natural habitat is the lakes and wide river basins of Central America and tank decoration should take this into consideration. The substrate should be sand or extremely fine gravel as this is the closest to their natural environment. Large, long-leafed plants are also a good addition, but they will be uprooted on a regular basis, so many people prefer to use plastic plants to cut down on costs. Jaguars like to "lurk" and having plenty of plants allows them to do this. Large rocks and pieces of driftwood are also good decorations, but they should be kept to a minimum to allow for swimming or "lurking" room. Leaning a large rock up against a tank wall or including a large piece of pipe somewhere in the tank will give your Jaguar a place to sit and survey his or her territory in safety, another favorite pastime. Anything added to a Jaguar tank should be well secured, these are large fish and can easily knock over decorations with little effort.
Good filtration is essential for Jaguar's, much as it is with all large, messy cichlids. Poor water conditions will mean that your Jaguar will not attain its full potential in either growth, coloration or lifespan.
Feeding
Being predatory by nature, in the wild much of a Jaguar's diet is made up of smaller fish, along with large invertebrates, such as freshwater shrimp and crabs. In an aquarium, the live fish portion of the diet can be replaced by items such as portions of the beefheart recipe and shrimp. Both are high in protein and will give your Jaguar all it needs to be happy and healthy. If you are persistent from an early age, Jaguar's can also be convinced to eat large sized, good quality pellets designed for predatory fish. These are useful to provide a little variation in your fish's diet. When young, things such as frozen krill, bloodworms, brine shrimp and earthworms are all eaten with great relish. You will find, however, as your fish grows, less and less attention will be paid to these smaller food items, and this is the time to switch to larger portions.

(spawning pair)
Image courtesy of Oscar_Andy


Compatibility
Jaguar's are predators and as such generally do not mix and play well with others. As juveniles, they can be raised with other medium to large cichlids, as they tend to be relatively docile when young. This changes dramatically when maturity approaches and by around 5 to 6", you will need to find your Jaguar a home all of its own. Any fish small enough to fit into its mouth will be considered food and anything large enough not to fit into its mouth will be considered a threat and dealt with appropriately. This applies to almost all fish, including large armored catfish. The happiest Jaguar is one that doesn't have to share its space.
The size difference between males and females can make keeping a pair a little on the tricky side, but it can be accomplished when a little thought it put into tank decoration. Most aggression between a pair will be shown at spawning time, often when the male is in the mood, but the female is not. Providing her with a cave to retreat to that the male cannot enter or dividing the tank should fix this problem
Breeding
Jaguar's are cave spawners in the wild, but will happily settle for a large, flat rock in an aquarium. Eggs are laid after the rock has been cleaned to the pairs satisfaction, and both parents will guard the eggs ferociously until hatching takes place in around 3 to 5 days. Jaguars are highly protective parents and are quite capable of doing considerable damage to anyone foolish enough to disturb their brood. This protection continues after the eggs have hatched and will often increase the more mobile the fry become. As up to 5000 eggs can be laid at one time, the tank can become somewhat crowded reasonably quickly, so a grow-out tank of a good size, 55 to 75 gallons will be required if you'd like to have a good survival rate.
The other problem that can sometimes result from spawning is the size difference I mentioned earlier between the males and females. This can result in aggression problems when it comes to spawning time, as the male is capable of doing considerable damage to the female if she is not receptive to breeding. This is one reason that such a large tank is required for a breeding pair, as often the only way to spawn these fish is to divide the tank to prevent conflict. With a divided tank, you need to make sure that each fish has enough space to stay healthy and something around 300 gallons is the best option.
The Jaguar was the first really large cichlid that I came into contact with after starting up in this hobby and they have remained as one of my favorites ever since. I met my first Jaguar in a display tank at a pet shop a few hour drive from me and was totally captivated by this enormous male sitting at the back of the tank, lordly watching over all in his domain. I was amazed by the intelligence I could see in this fish's eyes and the "I'm watching you, so don't try anything" look that he directed to anyone who came to look at him. For anyone on the lookout for a large bruiser of a fish, the Jaguar must be a contender.  

[uNGu]™ Fish : Nandopsis managuensis - Jaguar Cichlid

Jaguar Cichlid
Article Completed by – JK87

Image from Aqua Mojo
Common Names:
Jaguar cichlid, Jag, Manguense, Mang,
Scientific Name:
Nandopsis managuensis
Family:
Cichlid.
Geographical distribution:
Central America
Sexing:
The males are far more colorful than females. Markings are everything in the jaguar cichlid world.
Suitable Setup/Tank Conditions:
These fish, if kept as a pair, will need at least 75gallons of water. A tank of 5ftx2ftx2ft is a good size if you would like to keep a single specimen with other aggressive fish. Lots of rocks, caves, and plants are needed for these fish as they do like to hide and will need a place to sleep at night. If not given a place they will dig a nice BIG pit for themselves. A lot of people wonder why the plants get uprooted and torn apart, well it is mainly as they don’t have a place to call home and are making one. A ph of around 6.5 - 7.5 is good, but isn’t necessary if it has been acclimatized to your water at you lfs.
Size:
There isn’t a sure answer. Females grow to around 13/4inches and males can get to 15/16inches+. The biggest I have heard and seen a picture of is an 18inch monster but they are rare.
Temperature:
24-26oC (72-79 o F).
Breeding:
Before breeding starts, the male will establish a territory and breeding area (either a cave or flat surface). Typical courtship of gill flaring, fin displaying and body shaking and even fighting can follow. The Female will lay eggs in the carefully clean rock, or dug out pit in a cave, followed by the male to fertilize them. This will be done repeatedly until all the eggs are laid and fertilized. Both the male and the female will be very protective at this stage. Young adults can lay a few hundreds while large adults can have up to a thousand or more. The parents are very aggressive at this stage towards tank mates if there’s any and anything moving that comes near their tank. The mother usually tends the fry while the male guards the territory. Fry are free-swimming after a week. At this time, they can be newly brine shrimps and finely crushed flakes. A compatible pair will breed almost every month as long as they are given with high quality food including some live fish coupled with frequent partial water change.

[uNGu]™ Fish : Severum - Heros efasciatus

Heros efasciatus - Severum


Severum ( common name ) let's test your knowledge!
Heros efasciatus ( fish name )
  • Maximum size in aquariums (min-max): 12 - 15 cm ( 4.72 - 5.91 in )
  • pH of water: 6 - 7.3
  • Water hardness (dGH): 13 - 23 °N
  • Recommended temperature: 22 - 28 °C ( 71.6 - 82.4 °F )
  • Compatibility (temperament to it's family): aggressive (read this answer)
  • Compatibility (temperament to other fish species): aggressive (read this answer)
  • Place in the aquarium: Middle levels
  • The way of breeding: Spawning
  • Fish origin: South America
Information about care
Food and feeding
Some species of Severums can be a bit fussy when it comes to feeding them. If using quality cichlid pellets or flake, they should accept them. They will also appreciate treats of blood worms, beef heart, and glass worms.

Origin
South America; they are to be found in the Amazonian River Basins.

Sexing
Males tend to have brighter markings on their gill plates; they will also have extended dorsal and anal fins.

Breeding
Once a pair is established, they are fairly easy to breed but it can take a long time for the bond to form. It is best to purchase a group of juveniles and let them pair naturally. After cleaning a spawning site, the female will lay while the male will be behind her quickly fertilising them. Both parents will protect them and this will carry on until the fry are large enough to handle their standard diet of foods.

Lifespan
The expected life span for this fish is 5-10 years.

Short description
The Severums are not a difficult fish to keep but does require a lot of tank maintenance in the form of regular water changes. Provide them with rocks or wood for hiding places.

Pictures
Bought by aqua-fish.net from jjphoto.dk.

Severum, picture 1 Severum, picture 2

Heros 
efasciatus
Latin Name: Heros efasciatus;
Common Name: Severum;
Adult size is between 12 cm (4.72 inch) and 15 cm (5.91 inch);
pH should vary between 6 and 7.3;
dGH should be between 13 and 23;
Temperature should be between 22°C (71.6°F) and 28°C (82.4°F)





[uNGu]™ Fish : Gymnogeophagus balzanii - Paraguay Eartheater

<I>Gymnogeophagus balzani</I> male
Gymnogeophagus balzani male
© Hippocampus-Bildarchiv

Family

Cichlidae. Subfamily: Geophaginae

Distribution

Various drainages of the Rio Paraná basin in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It's also known from the Rio Uruguay, Uruguay.

Habitat

Tends to be found away from the main river channels, in sluggish tributaries and creeks.

Maximum Standard Length

Male to 8" (20cm). Female to 5.6" (14cm).

Minimum Tank Size

A tank measuring 48" x 15" x 12" (120cm x 37.5cm x 30cm) - 140 litres is big enough to house a pair or trio (one male with two females) of these comfortably. A larger group would need a correspondingly bigger tank.

Tank Setup

A biotope setup would consist very simply of a sandy substrate, perhaps with some driftwood branches and twisted roots added for effect. Aquatic plants are not a feature of the species' natural habitat, and would doubtless be uprooted by its sand-sifting activity anyway. The use of sand as substrate is essential to allow it to feed naturally. The fish take in mouthfuls of substrate, ejecting it through the gills whilst retaining any edible morsels they find. It is this behaviour which gives rise to the common name of 'eartheaters' for this and related species. Gravel is therefore not a good choice, as the fish can ingest it and it can become trapped in the delicate gills. The tank should be very well-filtered as Geophagines are susceptible to both hole in the head disease and neuromastic pitting. Regular large water changes are a must for similar reasons.

Temperature

Prefers water a little cooler than most other South American cichlids. Somewhere in the range 70-77°F (21-25°C) is best. Most experts agree that the species does best with an 'overwintering' period of 3-4 months, during which the temperature is maintained around 60-64°F (16-18°C). This simulates the changing seasons in its natural, subtropical waters. It's thought that the lifespan of the fish may be reduced substantially without this artificial 'winter'. It may be worth investing in a programmable chiller for a tank containing this species in order to maintain these very specific conditions. Unfortunatel,y this adds significant cost to the setup, making it an expensive proposition.

pH Range

6.5-7.5

Hardness

5-15°H

Diet

Easily fed, provided anything offered sinks, as it will rarely feed from anywhere other than the substrate. Good quality granular foods, flake and small live and frozen foods are all recommended. Try to ensure it receives some vegetable matter. Spirulina flake, blanched spinach or shelled frozen peas work well.

Compatibility

Not a good community fish. Males in particular can be very intolerant of other cichlids. Medium-sized characins and other shoaling species that inhabit the upper levels of the tank are usually unharmed though. Ensure that any tankmates chosen can withstand the cooler conditions required. Some of the Asian danionins are probably better choices than most of the commonly available characins. However, Buenos Aires tetras, Hyphessobrycon anisitsi  are from a similar geographical area and should work well.

Males are very quarrelsome towards rivals and it's best to keep only one per tank. Females, on the other hand, are far more peaceful with each other. The species is polygamous, so it's best to provide the male with a small harem of between 2 and 6 females. This will help to avoid any particular female being singled out for harassment when the male is in spawning condition.

Sexual Dimorphism

Males are larger and more colourful than females, and develop pointed dorsal and anal fins as they mature. Dominant males also develop a quite spectacular nuchal hump. This can be so large that it often gives the fish a rather comical, square-looking appearance. If several males are present, only the dominant individual will develop the hump, and it will disappear if another male assumes control of the tank.

Breeding

Not too difficult. The species is a delayed maternal mouthbrooder. The spawning tank should be set up as suggested above. Add some cave-like structures or large clay flowerpots to act as refuges for the females. Water parameters should be within the ranges stated above. If the fish on sale are sexable, buy a single male and at least 2 (preferably 3-6) females. Failing that, a group of 6 juveniles should result in the desired ratio of sexes. Simply remove surplus males as they develop. Condition the fish on a high quality, varied diet.

Once mature and in condition, the male will attempt to spawn with females almost constantly. Courtship involves a lot of quivering and flaring. The reason the species is best spawned in a harem situation will become very clear, as unreceptive females are often harried to the point where they have to go into hiding to escape the amorous male. When a female is in condition, she will develop a small territory of her own, at the centre of which is usually a rock or similar surface. This will be used as the spawning site, and the female will spend the majority of her time cleaning it. She may also be seen digging pits in the vicinity. It will be obvious when the spawn itself is imminent, as the female will assume a special brood care patterning of darkened colours.

The male does not usually enter the territory of the female until just before spawning, when her ovipositor is clearly visible. He will start to hang around her territory more and more, and may participate in cleaning of the spawning site. By this point, his sperm duct should also be extended. As is common with many substrate spawning cichlids, the pair usually perform a series of 'dry runs' over the spawning site before the event itself. Eventually, the female lays between 200-500 eggs which are then fertilised by the male. He is then ejected from the territory and plays no further part in brood care.

The eggs remain attached to the spawning site for the next 1-2 days. The female assists the fry in hatching, using her mouth to coax them from the eggs. She then takes them directly into her mouth, where they are incubated for a further week or so. This is why this particular breeding strategy is known as 'delayed' mouthbrooding. The female will not eat during this period. It's best to isolate her from this point, either by dividing the existing tank or moving her to a separate one. The fry can be offered Artemia nauplii once they are released.

Parental care by the female is excellent and continues for several weeks, the fry being gathered quickly in her mouth at the first sign of a threat. If you have a decent-sized harem of females, you may find that you have more than one holding fry at some points, as the male continues his courtship efforts immediately after spawning with a female.

Notes

A very interesting species that sadly is only recommended to the specialist able to provide it with the specific conditions it requires for its long term health. There are a couple of different colour forms available, dependant on locality.