Guianacura sp.

[Mazan]

Also I am not sure if yours are sphenozona as they appear to have the black first dorsal fin rays? According to the diagram sphenozona does not.

 

[fishguy1978]

Well it will be interesting to find out for sure, from the video everything suggested to me that the small one was the the female, not only the size difference but also the behaviour and colouration. With mine the female becomes darker like that when breeding, while the male doesn't change colour that much. But strange you would think that the previous owner should know...

He had them for several months and multiple spawns so I figured he knew what he was talking about. I also had not looked at them closely until I had them home.

Also I am not sure if yours are sphenozona as they appear to have the black first dorsal fin rays? According to the diagram sphenozona does not.

I wouldn't be surprised either. With so little informat out there.

 

[fishguy1978]

Mining operations have begun!!

 

[fishguy1978]

Sooo confusing. The male has the red spotting and the midlateral bar does fade a little into an elongated spot above the lateral line.
The female has blue iridescence and has the high mid lateral spot.
The male has the black rays on the dorsal fin too. The female doesn't.

 

[fishguy1978]

Correction: she does have black on the first dorsal rays and black fringe too.

 

[fishguy1978]

They have spawned!

 

[Mazan]

Congratulations, that was quick! Were you able to check for sure which is the female?

 

[fishguy1978]

Congratulations, that was quick! Were you able to check for sure which is the female?

Thanks. I wasn't. They had finished before I got home. I think the female is indeed the smaller as she's guarding the eggs.

 

[fishguy1978]

 

[Mazan]

Yes for sure that smaller one is the female. My male spent hardly any time in the cave but patrolled the surrounding area. My pair dug a much deeper hole, and the eggs were placed right under a rock ledge at the bottom, with just room for the female to get under, not the male, though he somehow managed to fertilize them. I never saw the eggs or wrigglers, only the fry when they became free swimming - which took longer than I had expected actually. They spawned again but I am away at the moment so not sure what stage they are at now.