I'm not sure if I formally posted info on my recent build, but I know several cichla owners have seen it on the Setup and Filtration Forum. If you haven't, you can read about it here if you like.
I thought it was time to show some of the fish I have in the tank. The stock is not quite finalized, as I'm not sure all the fish will fit comfortably when fully grown. Current inhabitants include:
Growing out in a 180g to be added to the big tank eventually, and most likely to replace the mutts:
But enough talk. On with the pictures...
Cichla kelberi "Bahia" (~12")
These are Rapps 3rd gen fishes. I ordered four and culled down to the best two. I'm not sure where they rank in the big picture of "24K Bahias", but they look great in my tank and definitely stand out from the other fish. I believe I have a male and female, and I also believe they are going to spawn at some point based on observed behaviour. Those rocks are their home.
Male
Female
Cichla melaniae - "Xingu" (~12")
Like everyone else's, these fish are German imports from Michael brought in last Spring. I believe they are both females. One is slightly darker than the other. They are very mellow in the tank. They don't chase other fish, and for the most part are left alone by the other Cichla...except the pinima when its ornery. They aren't usually too far from each other although I wouldn't say they school together.
Cichla orinocensis "Rio Meta" (~12)
My pet. I brought two of these in from Jeff as 11" WC fish last Spring. The first died shortly after arrival from a wicked case of velvet (thank God I quarantine all new arrivals). This guy (I think it's a male) spent the Summer in the pond with the other growouts while the tank was being completed, and *refused* to take pellets. I left him to fend for himself, and didn't realize what a mistake that was until I transferred him over to the tank and saw him emaciated for the first time. I didn't think he would last much longer, but miraculously he started eating in the big tank. Now he is gonzo at feeding time and has fattened up nicely. A great fish in the community as his greens and blues really set him off from the other fish better than my limited photographic skills are able to capture. He is one of the mellowest of the Cichla and the other fish still leave him alone from his days as the runt...he's still not seen as a threat I guess.
Cichla pinima (~13)
I bought two of these original pinima imports last Spring. The other fish was a bruiser, and ruled the pond until the unknown tems were introduced. He must have challenged them too, because I came home one day to find him white belly up in the plants with this fish parked beside him like a dog next to its injured master. This pinima was considerably smaller, and remains smaller than the temensis spp. It's still a good size fish (bigger than the pictures might suggest), but some of the tems dwarf it. I only feed once a day and this fish is fairly far down the totem pole for pellets. Still loves to harass the other fish every chance it gets. A unique addition to the collection color-wise.
Cichla temensis "Rio Ventuari" (~13-15")
Both these and the "Miriti-parana" tems are from Jeff. The Ventuari's are the smallest of my tems. They are quickly ID'd by the solid white lower line along their sides and the distinctive spotting along their backs. These tems are the easiest to distinguish from the others.
Cichla temensis "Miriti-parana" (~15-18")
I almost didn't get these fish. Jeff had them for 9 months or so, and I was worried they had lost their growth potential. I was wrong. I think these are the most attractive of my tems. They have a darker base color than the other two spp., especially along their backs. These guys are a little harder to tell from the unknown temensis sp., but can be differentiated by the darker brown coloration and spots on the top of their heads. The biggest one is a big fish, but like all the tems, they are quite calm and leave the pinima to keep the little guys in line.
Cichla temensis sp. (~16-18)
These fish were made available to me with the hope that they were one of the as yet unavailable C. jarina or C. vazzoleri. I'm not convinced that's going to pan out at this point. But I am committed to grow them out to adults to see how they turn out. They are from a very unique collection point at any rate. They are my biggest cichla, having had a head start on the others going into the pond last Spring. They are differentiated from the other tems, most notably the "Miriti-parana" fish, by their lighter, almost pinkish base color (not really evident in the photos) and the lack of any spots on their face or back. A special thank you to the individual who was kind enough to make these fish available to me to grow out. Hopefully we can go collect those C. vazzoleri ourselves this Summer.
Cichla ocellaris - LFS Mutts (~10-12")
The $19.99 fish that wound up costing me over $20K in the hobby. I had wanted Cichla for a long time, and was just about to take a break from the hobby when I saw these guys at 1.5". Then the tank-building, rare-cichla-acquiring madness began. I like these fish for their bright colors and aggressive personalities. They make better dithers than the silver dollars at this size. I'll probably keep the best one or two long term.
Black Arowana
I must say, an almost(?) perfect example of the species I got from Jeff. Pictures of this fish can be found in the Arowana Media Lounge here for those interested.
I thought it was time to show some of the fish I have in the tank. The stock is not quite finalized, as I'm not sure all the fish will fit comfortably when fully grown. Current inhabitants include:
- (1) Black arowana
- (2) Cichla kelberi "Bahia"
- (2) Cichla melaniae - "Xingu"
- (1) Cichla orinocensis "Rio Meta"
- (1) Cichla pinima
- (2) Cichla temensis "Rio Ventuari"
- (2) Cichla temensis "Rio Miriti-parana"
- (3) Cichla temensis spp.
- (6) Cichla ocellaris - LFS mutts
- (2) Silver Dollars
Growing out in a 180g to be added to the big tank eventually, and most likely to replace the mutts:
- (1) Cichla orinocensis "Rio Atabapo"
- (2) Cichla kelberi "Rio Ipatinga"
- (1) Cichla cf. ocellaris "Brokopondo"
But enough talk. On with the pictures...
Cichla kelberi "Bahia" (~12")
These are Rapps 3rd gen fishes. I ordered four and culled down to the best two. I'm not sure where they rank in the big picture of "24K Bahias", but they look great in my tank and definitely stand out from the other fish. I believe I have a male and female, and I also believe they are going to spawn at some point based on observed behaviour. Those rocks are their home.
Male
Female
Cichla melaniae - "Xingu" (~12")
Like everyone else's, these fish are German imports from Michael brought in last Spring. I believe they are both females. One is slightly darker than the other. They are very mellow in the tank. They don't chase other fish, and for the most part are left alone by the other Cichla...except the pinima when its ornery. They aren't usually too far from each other although I wouldn't say they school together.
Cichla orinocensis "Rio Meta" (~12)
My pet. I brought two of these in from Jeff as 11" WC fish last Spring. The first died shortly after arrival from a wicked case of velvet (thank God I quarantine all new arrivals). This guy (I think it's a male) spent the Summer in the pond with the other growouts while the tank was being completed, and *refused* to take pellets. I left him to fend for himself, and didn't realize what a mistake that was until I transferred him over to the tank and saw him emaciated for the first time. I didn't think he would last much longer, but miraculously he started eating in the big tank. Now he is gonzo at feeding time and has fattened up nicely. A great fish in the community as his greens and blues really set him off from the other fish better than my limited photographic skills are able to capture. He is one of the mellowest of the Cichla and the other fish still leave him alone from his days as the runt...he's still not seen as a threat I guess.
Cichla pinima (~13)
I bought two of these original pinima imports last Spring. The other fish was a bruiser, and ruled the pond until the unknown tems were introduced. He must have challenged them too, because I came home one day to find him white belly up in the plants with this fish parked beside him like a dog next to its injured master. This pinima was considerably smaller, and remains smaller than the temensis spp. It's still a good size fish (bigger than the pictures might suggest), but some of the tems dwarf it. I only feed once a day and this fish is fairly far down the totem pole for pellets. Still loves to harass the other fish every chance it gets. A unique addition to the collection color-wise.
Cichla temensis "Rio Ventuari" (~13-15")
Both these and the "Miriti-parana" tems are from Jeff. The Ventuari's are the smallest of my tems. They are quickly ID'd by the solid white lower line along their sides and the distinctive spotting along their backs. These tems are the easiest to distinguish from the others.
Cichla temensis "Miriti-parana" (~15-18")
I almost didn't get these fish. Jeff had them for 9 months or so, and I was worried they had lost their growth potential. I was wrong. I think these are the most attractive of my tems. They have a darker base color than the other two spp., especially along their backs. These guys are a little harder to tell from the unknown temensis sp., but can be differentiated by the darker brown coloration and spots on the top of their heads. The biggest one is a big fish, but like all the tems, they are quite calm and leave the pinima to keep the little guys in line.
Cichla temensis sp. (~16-18)
These fish were made available to me with the hope that they were one of the as yet unavailable C. jarina or C. vazzoleri. I'm not convinced that's going to pan out at this point. But I am committed to grow them out to adults to see how they turn out. They are from a very unique collection point at any rate. They are my biggest cichla, having had a head start on the others going into the pond last Spring. They are differentiated from the other tems, most notably the "Miriti-parana" fish, by their lighter, almost pinkish base color (not really evident in the photos) and the lack of any spots on their face or back. A special thank you to the individual who was kind enough to make these fish available to me to grow out. Hopefully we can go collect those C. vazzoleri ourselves this Summer.
Cichla ocellaris - LFS Mutts (~10-12")
The $19.99 fish that wound up costing me over $20K in the hobby. I had wanted Cichla for a long time, and was just about to take a break from the hobby when I saw these guys at 1.5". Then the tank-building, rare-cichla-acquiring madness began. I like these fish for their bright colors and aggressive personalities. They make better dithers than the silver dollars at this size. I'll probably keep the best one or two long term.
Black Arowana
I must say, an almost(?) perfect example of the species I got from Jeff. Pictures of this fish can be found in the Arowana Media Lounge here for those interested.
