Cichlazoma iridescent. Rainbow cichlazoma - the brighter the color, the worse the character Rainbow cichlazoma description

Rainbow cichlazoma (lat. Cichlasoma synspilum) is a large fish of the Ray-finned class, the Cichlid family. Other names: red-headed cichlid, red cichlid. Natural habitat habitats - areas Latin America(Guatemala and Mexico, fresh waters Usumacinta River), sometimes found in salt waters. Cichlazomas prefer to live in rivers with slow flow or in lakes.

It appeared on the territory of the USSR in the 1980s, but was rarely found in home aquariums due to the lack of large containers for sale.

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Description

Rainbow cichlazoma reaches 30 cm in length in the wild; in captivity it grows up to 20 cm. It is a fairly large fish with an elongated body that is slightly flattened on the sides. The large head has large eyes and a wide mouth that captures pieces of food. Males are distinguished by a large fatty mound on the frontal part of the head.

Cichlases have varied body color variations - from golden, bluish-green to pinkish-red. The head is a contrasting crimson or red color. The scales are painted black around the edges. There is an irregularly shaped dark spot on the tail.

The body of the red cichlid has transparent fins with a beautiful turquoise color. Like many representatives of cichlids, the dorsal and anal fins of cichlids reach the base of the tail, ending in a braid. If the maintenance in the aquarium is not disturbed, they can live more than ten years, becoming sexually mature at the age of 3 years. They cannot be named aggressive fish However, they eat almost everything. Adults form pairs for life, starting from the first year of life, which is rare among fish.

Admire the colors of the rainbow cichlases.

Gender differences are noticeable - let us recall that males have a fatty growth on the frontal part of the head, while females do not. During the spawning period, a cone-shaped vas deferens emerges from the anus of the male, and a trapezoid-shaped ovipositor emerges from the female.

The behavior of rainbow cichlids is amazing! They quickly get used to humans, and over time they allow themselves to be fed, petted, and even taken out of the water. They can recognize their owner among other people. If it suddenly happens stressful situation, the fish is ready to pretend to be dead, turning over on its side and lying motionless. In conflict situations, specific stripes appear on the male’s forehead, which disappear with reconciliation.

Conditions of detention

Keeping rainbow cichlids is not very difficult. Since the fish are large in size, the container should be filled with 150 liters of water for two individuals. You can add fine soil (quartz sand or gravel) and small pebbles to the bottom of the aquarium. Before use, the mound should be thoroughly washed to prevent cichlids from “digging” in the dirty mud. In addition to sand, build large shelters like stone caves, you can build. Try to find coconuts that are larger than the diameter of the fish's body.

To avoid conflict situations between fish, divide the territory into parts using reefs. Consider everything possible ways preventing quarrels. Sometimes males like to catch up with weaker individuals, so there should be plenty of hiding places. It is recommended to plant plants in the aquarium, but you need to be sure that the fish will not eat them. Plants with a well-developed root system (including floating plants) and large leaves with hard plates are suitable. Some aquarists use duckweed and riccia.

Water temperature: 24-30 o C, acidity 6.5-7 pH, dH - from 8 to 20. Red cichlids love soft light, the main thing is that you can see them among the plants. To avoid inflammation of the scales, the water in the container must be extremely clean. Biological and mechanical filtration, good aeration are the key to their health. Water change - once a week 20%.

You can feed cichlase aquatic plants and algae, fruits and seeds, food for cichlids. Shrimp, mussel meat, worms and crickets are delicacies for them. Korma with spriulina, sliced ​​cucumbers and zucchini are also eaten.

It is better to keep one pair of fish, which will form when each individual is one year old. They can attack other cichlids, so when there is one permanent pair in the aquarium, it is better to move it into a separate aquarium. If this is not possible, create optimal conditions for the life of all fish (small neighbors are not suitable), build enough shelters.

See how the male and female protect the eggs.

Breeding

They can spawn in both community aquarium, and in a separate spawning tank with a volume of 150 liters. To stimulate spawning, it is necessary to increase the water temperature by 1-2 degrees and refresh ½ of the water during the week. Line the bottom of the aquarium with flat, wide stones and grottoes. The female lays at least 500 eggs on the stone, which she will care for. Cichlazomas are able to take care of fry. Incubation period– 2-4 days, after which the larvae are born. Next week they will form into fry and swim out to look for food. The first food for babies is nauplii of Artemia, Cyclops and Daphnia. When the parents are ready for new offspring, it is better to relocate the fry.

Rainbow cichlazomas got their name for their amazing color; they will decorate every body of water. Easy to maintain, with interesting character The fish will please the aquarist.

Cichlazoma silver.

Habitat in nature

Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Usumacinta, San Roman river basins.

Description

Size up to 30 cm, female is smaller. The body is tall, dense, strongly compressed laterally. It differs from other species in the length of its caudal fin. The mouth is strewn with small teeth. The color is grayish-silver with black spots of varying sizes.

Blurred dark spots (striations), most distinct on the forehead, back, and above pelvic fins and on the caudal peduncle. Typical horizontal black stripes on the forehead, the upper wide stripe above the eyes. On the back of the caudal peduncle black spot, which is smaller in females. With age, the color becomes more intense with a gray metallic sheen. Males are larger than females, with a steep forehead, and they have more spots on the top and fins. It is difficult to determine the sex of young fish.

The main requirement for keeping is a sufficiently spacious aquarium. Very high intraspecific aggressiveness, these fish are capable of killing even during transportation. They are aggressive during the spawning period, especially towards relatives; when kept together, it is necessary to provide a sufficient number of shelters and sufficient territory for all fish.

Young fish can be very aggressive towards each other, but this behavior disappears as they grow older. You need a fairly large aquarium with shelters made of driftwood and stones for females. All decorations must be well secured, since fish will often rearrange the landscape at their discretion.

Plants can be used, but most likely will be uprooted; floating plants can be used. Chem. The composition of the water is not very important for these fish. Filtration must be powerful, because... This large fish. IN wildlife These are herbivorous cichlids. Use good quality vegetable spirulina granules, in addition to shrimp, mussels and fish meat.

Reproduction

Puberty occurs around 3 years of age, although courtship begins after 18 months. They usually spawn on a large rock, and sometimes inside a cave. During spawning, the male can be aggressive towards the female. They are excellent parents, but can become aggressive towards their brood if they are ready to spawn again. dH 13-25°; pH 7.5-8.5; T 22-28°C.

Cichlazoma rainbow - freshwater aquarium fish from American cichlids.

In nature they reach 30 cm in length, in an aquarium their size is smaller. The body is tall and elongated, flattened laterally. The eyes are large, the lips are thick, and the dorsal fin is long. The color is varied. In most cases the head is crimson or red, the rest of the body may be green-blue, reddish or yellow. The scales have black edges. The edges of the fins are transparent blue, often with brown spots.

Aquarium- from 250l and above. The bigger, the better. Shelters made of driftwood, stones, caves, floating plants are needed, and hard-leaved plants can also be placed in pots. The rest can dig or eat.

Water: dH 8-20, pH 6.5-8.5, temperature 24-28°C, powerful filtration and aeration.

Rainbow cichlasoma is kept either with other species of the family or in a species aquarium.

Cichlid nutrition

You need to feed cichlid fish in a balanced manner: sea ​​fish, bloodworms, cortera, shrimp, vegetable and granulated food. Live food - most of diet.

Reproduction by cichlase sinspilum

Sexual maturity occurs after 1.5-2 years of life. You need to select a pair at a young age from a group of fish. The male is distinguished from the female by a large fatty growth on the forehead.

Family: cichlids (Cichlidae)

External description: Cichlasoma maculicauda is a powerful fish with a large massive body. The main color is light: from white to light blue/green, the lower part of the head and part of the abdomen are colored red, there is a noticeable dark spot in the middle of the body, the size and intensity of the color varies greatly, often there is a large dark spot at the base of the tail. The fins, with the exception of the tail, correspond to the main color, the caudal fin is red. Males have brighter colors; as males age, they develop a nuchal hump

Natural habitat: the fish is quite widespread in Central America

Dimensions: maximum fish size 25 cm

Habitat layer: tries to stay in the lower and middle layers

Behavior: The behavior of the fish is very aggressive, so they are kept either with large cichlids of similar temperament, or in pairs in a species aquarium. During spawning and the appearance of eggs, they become especially aggressive

Arrangement of the aquarium: The minimum aquarium volume is 200 liters, suitable for two fish. When arranging an aquarium, it is advisable to use different shelters: caves, grottoes, driftwood, plants, it is best to place plants in special pots

Water parameters: temperature 22-27ºC, pH 6.0-8.0, the middle between the indicators is “golden”, dGH 8-16°

Nutrition: despite the fact that the fish are quite aggressive, their diet in nature is algae, nevertheless, protein sources must be included in the fish’s diet

Breeding: The fish reach the ability to reproduce only at a size of 15 cm, or when they reach 6-10 months. Water parameters should be near ideal: temperature about 26°, pH about 7, hardness about the same, but the first two indicators are more important. It is important to have a formed pair for spawning, otherwise most likely nothing will work out; for this you need to initially buy a pair or a group of fish of 6 fish. The couple chooses a place for spawning and arranges it, the female lays up to 600 eggs, the parents carefully care for the offspring and very fiercely defend the territory. The fry appear after 2-3 days, begin to swim after a week, starter food for nauplii crustaceans

Note: In general, keeping fish is not difficult if you strictly maintain the water parameters, but they are demanding on the volume of the aquarium and are very aggressive towards their neighbors, therefore they are recommended only for experienced aquarists

Video (Vieja maculicauda, ​​Cichlasoma maculicauda, ​​Blackbelt cichlid):

Argentea cichlazoma or silver cichlazoma/vieja argentea description, content, nutrition, photo - 5.0 out of 5 based on 3 votes

Cichlazoma argentea or Cichlazoma silver

(cichlasoma argentea, vieja argentea)

Cichlasoma argentea is an excellent aquarium fish from the American cichlids. Habitat: Southern Mexico and Central America.

It can grow up to a maximum of 30cm. Color: silver body with dark small spots, there are also dark blurry spots (manifestation of striping) - they are clearly visible on the back, caudal peduncle and forehead.

Aquarium- from 150l and above. Wooden pegs and stones are necessary. But they should be installed so that the cichlazoma is not harmed when it rebuilds the interior to suit itself. Plants are optional as they can be uprooted.

Water: temperature 26-30°C, pH 7.5-8.5, dH 10-15, powerful and constant filtration.

Nutrition

Food: the main part of the diet is plant food (for example, algae), with granular food, shrimp and mussels only as an additional supplement.

Photo