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Big Central Americans!

The February 2003 edition of Practical Fishkeeping featured an article on big Central American Cichlids, and I thought I'd devote some time to this article and the fishes featured therein. Because, as the article writer, one Mary Bailey, notes (with the usual passion of big Cichlidophiles - an illustration of the hold these fishes can have on their owners!) these are charismatic fishes, full of character, but best reserved to the dedicated fan who is willing to spend considerable sums of money on large aquaria and high-capacity filtration systems.

The first big surprise the article presented me with was that the home waters of many of these fishes are actually somewhat hard and alkaline, although not to the same extremes as the Rift Lakes in Africa. Many of their home rivers and lakes are found in areas with at least some underlying limestone bedrock, and this affects the chemistry of these bodies of water. It says a lot for the robustness of these fishes, however, that they have been successfully raised in a wide variety of aquaria, in a wide variety of conditions, although excess acidity is to be avoided with some species, which will react badly to a pH dropping too low.

First, Bailey covers the Midas Amphilophus citrinellus and Red Devil Amphilophus labiatus. These are big (12 inches is easily within their growth remit) and have a well-deserved reputation for belligerence in the aquarium. Bailey explains the reasons for this: in the wild, their waters are subject to periodic flooding, similar to the Amazon, but as the surrounding countryside is much more mountainous, the flood waters extend over a much smaller area. Competition for prime spawning and breeding sites, which are consequently much fewer in number than in the floodplains of the Amazon, is therefore positively cut-throat, and the big Cichlids of Central America have evolved a fierce competitive instinct to match. In the case of the Midas Cichlid in particular, this leads to the infamous 'wife beating' incidents, because the territorial instincts are so powerful, that a large male, faced with no other outlets for his instinct to defend a territory, will attack the nearest moving object, which all too sadly in the aquarium is the female. This territorial motivation is, needless to say, at its most powerful during fry brood care, and Bailey suggests that aquarists contemplating captive breeding of Midas and Red Devil Cichlids should provide the male with targets for his protective instinct. Innes in his venerable tome many years ago suggested that certain fry pests, such as dragonfly larvae and aquatic beetles, would provide big Cichlids with an outlet for such aggression, giving them the double pleasure of destroying intruders and crunching upon a tasty snack. It maybe worth trying, even at the risk of losing a few fry, if this diverts the male's defensive instincts safely, and of course would more closely mimic the situation in the wild. Another possibility is to introduce a shoal of Astyanax mexicanus tetras - these tetras live in the wild alongside Midas and Jaguar Cichlids, and are notorious opportunist egg and fry eaters that the Midas Cichlid in particular will relish destroying.

Bailey also covers the colour forms of these two species in some detail, but I shall leave that aside for now, and concentrate upon moving onto the other species in her article.

Next, are the 'veggies' - Vieja synspila and relations. Note that although the Vieja Cichlids are regarded as herbivorous, and do benefit from added greenery in the diet, they are NOT obligate vegetarians. Instead, they attack greenery in the wild because meaty foods are either in short supply or difficult to catch. In an aquarium, no such constraints apply, and if these big fishes are kept with small tetras, the small tetras will end up as a very welcome and rather expensive lunch. They will also attack earthworms with considerable relish. They should be given greenery, but interspersed with something more meaty - again, big adults will destroy dragonfly larvae and aquatic beetles with undisguised relish.

The Vieja species are problematic at the moment taxonomically, and no doubt aquarists will have to become accustomed to yet more revisions followed by yet more name changes! However, the Quetzal, Vieja synspila, is not known for the 'wife beating' habits of the Midas and Red Devil, and is regarded as more of a pussycat ... do NOT make the mistake of regarding the Black Belt, Vieja maculicauda, as a pussycat, though, because it is a bruiser, and every bit as bad tempered as the Midas! It also indulges in 'wife beating', for much the same reasons as the Midas, and needs both space and diversionary targets for the male's aggression.

Finally, Bailey covers the Guapotes - a local name applied to the big bruisers of the Genera Parachromis and Petenia. Only one Petenia is known - the Bay Snook, Petenia splendida, and like all the Guapotes, it is BIG. As in TWENTY INCHES. It is, like its other Guapote relatives, a relentless piscivore, an efficient and devastatingly powerul hunter, and when one yawns, just take a look at that mouth and, as Bailey says, be grateful you are not a small fish within reach!

The Guapotes also include two oddities, which are generally regarded in need of reclassifcation - the Trimac, Cichlasoma trimaculatum and the Umbee, Cichlasoma umbriferum. Both of these are bad tempered bruisers needing big quarters, but which also make devoted couples when paired - and when paired, they WILL take on and destroy all comers! As an insight into their character, Bailey cites an Umbee named "Fred" - which didn't mind female visitors peering into his aquarium, but who resented male competition to the extent of charging the front glass and cracking it!

Then, there are the Parachromis species. An aquarist wanting big, powerful and charismatic Cichlids, and who is willing to provide them with the spacious quarters they need, should look no further than this array of fiery Latins. And they can be VERY fiery when the red mist descends!

However, the bad tempers are more than offset by their exemplary display of monogamous family life, and a mated pair will frequently show a mutual devotion (and a devotion to their offspring) that will shame quite a few humans. Biggest of the Guapotes is the Wolf Cichlid, Parachromis dovii, which is ENORMOUS. Females can reach 24 inches, and males a whopping THIRTY INCHES, so they need an aquarium to match. It also has truly massive fangs, and care should be exercised during aquarium maintenance, as a bite from one of these will leave worse teeth marks than some dogs! Bailey mentions one called "Miss Piggy" that used to splash its owner when hungry, illustrating that these huge Cichlids can become real pets, overflowing with character and intelligence, which when experienced first hand will demonstrate amply why the Guapotes attract so many fishkeeping fans, despite their maintenance headaches.

Then, of course, there are such species as Parachromis loiselli, Parachromis motaguensis, Parachromis friedrichsthalii and, of course, the infamous Jaguar Cichlid, Parachromis managuensis. Jaguars (or as some people call them, "Mannies" are definitely "don't mess with ME!" fishes - again, they will exceed 12 inches with ease, and if one can live with their heroic appetites, equally heroic ability to foul the water, and their sometimes brutal pugnacity (usually brought on by cramped conditions), then they will repay diligent care handsomely with displays of character that will delight and amuse for years. Long-lived, intelligent and extrovert with a real "Hey, look at me" presence, Parachromis Guapotes are larger than life, and this is illustrated by Bailey's own Jaguar Cichid, misnamed "Waynetta" (because she mis-identified the fish's gender!), which would even swim up to the front glass of the aquarium and issue threats to passing cats! Several Jaguar Cichlids have acquired suitable pet names - Attila, Darth, and even one called Maggie (Thatcher) ...

Just remember, that all of these fishes need BIG aquaria, VERY efficient filtration (power filters should be considered essential), robust furnishings capable of withstanding the tendency of some of them to excavate like bulldozers, and a willingness on the part of the aquarist to intervene decisively and firmly when flaring tempers graduate to outright warfare. Be prepared also for some of these fishes to train YOU to pander to their whims with all of the seductiveness normally associated with cats, be prepared for them to take instant likes and dislikes to other members of the family (and any other pets - seeing a big Jaguar Cichlid square up to the front glass before a boxer dog as if to say "come on if you think you're hard enough" is a real possibility!) and above all, be prepared NEVER to be bored with them!




[span class="edited"][Edited by Calilasseia 2004-07-09 09:46][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by Calilasseia 2004-07-09 09:48][/span]

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Great article and an informative post. Bravissimo!

Great article cal! very informative!

Glad to be of service again everyone

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I just saw this... I am going to announce it so it sticks!

Great article!

Thanks, CichlidaeDM ... nice to know my handiwork is appreciated!

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002