I would like to document my experiences with keeping euryhaline fish in a migratory tank. My tank will be stocked with Nandopsis tetracanthus, Cichlasoma urophthalmus & Ariopsis seemanni. First, I want to establish some research. There are only a few "truly brackish" cichlids. A couple of the ones commonly found in the aquarium hobby are the Orange Chromide (Etroplus maculatus) and Green Chromide (Etroplus suratensis). By "truly brackish", I mean that these need a low to mid range brackish to sustain. Most South American & African cichlids inhabit waters of very specific conditions. Examples of the specific need SA cichlids are angelfish and discus with a soft, acidic water. Examples of the specific need African cichlids are those from Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. Though some will tolerate very low brackish aquariums with a SG of less than 1.002 (generally still within the range of "freshwater"). Examples are kribs and possibly some Aquidens. CA cichlids tend to accept a variety of water conditions, neutral to alkaline and hard. Many can be frequently found in brackish areas with a SG of 1.005 or more, such as Herichthys carpintis & Parachromis motaguensis. My focus will be on N. tetracanthus and C. urophthalmus. For future reference, I will list some common names of my cichlids, as I will use those more often. The N. tetracanthus is commonly known as biajaca or Cuban cichlids. The C. urophthalmus is commonly known as Mayan cichlid, Mexican mojarra, atomic sunfish, and orange tiger cichlid. Cubans and Mayans are known to be found in a wide variety of salinities, ranging from freshwater to marine waters. Mayans are known to be found in waters of 38% salt content (marine water is typically 35%). Higher salinities can be achieved in pools which are marine fed, but at low tide have no feed waters, whether fresh or marine, and have evaporation, just as an example. Also, Mayans are known to live and breed in marine waters. Much of this information come Brackish Water Fish by Neale Monks, Fishbase.org, Florida Wildlife agencies, and university/government research. Please research the specific needs of each of your livestock to assure you maintain the best available conditions. Some cichlids need salt, some are intolerant of salt, some need high mineral content, and some need soft water, etc. Second, I would like to give my current setup and plans. I have a 125 gallon freshwater tank. The tank has river rock, shells, driftwood, and artificial stumps. My tap water is approximate pH 7.4 and hard. We have high limestone content in our region. The tank is currently filtered by a Penguin 400, Eheim Pro and undergravel filter. I have powerheads with attached aeration. The temperature is set to about 80 to 82 degrees. My current livestock is 4 Cuban cichlids (probably two males and two females), 2 Mayan cichlids (sex unknown), and 3 Columbian catfish. My future plans are to remove one Cuban, add one Mayan and add one Columbian Catfish. Also, I will be either buying or building a 300 to 500 gallon tank and I plan to incorporate a lot more filtration to ensure optimal water conditions. I will be feeding beef livers, krill, feeders, livebearer mix (for the veggie content) and a color enhancing food (maybe New Life Spectrum). This will be a very slow observation, migration and setup. This is post number one. I must submit before my laptop charge exhausts.
Brackish Central American Cichlids
- Thread starter WinterAlloy
- Start date
Here is a pic of a Mayan in brackish water. Also I understand Red Devils tolorate brackish water well. This is Xcaret Mexico.
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I really like the orange shown on this Mayan. Anyone here on MFK with Mayans please post some pics.
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I've seen this color in the brackish mayans. I wonder if it would show in a brackish aquarium.
My aim is to raise my Cubans, Mayans, & Catsharks migrating to near marine conditions. The final water salinity should be at least 75% of marine water, which is a salinity of 27 or a SG of 1.017.
Let me clarify what I feel like are very important terms in this post.
The fish that I am keeping are not merely tolerant of salt, they are euryhaline and seem to benefit from salt additions. Everybody knows that seemanni catsharks need salt. They are migratory, but they do inhabit estuaries. These fish need at least 50% the strength of seawater or a salinity of 18 or SG 1.012 as they mature. N. tetracanthus and C. urophthalmus are not just freshwater fish, not just brackish fish, and not just marine fish, they are all or none, they are euryhaline. I do not wish to put any of my pets in any stress in while I raise them. I actually want to give them the best possible life. Hearing that Mayans and Cubans are both just as equally happy in salty water, even breeding in it, has given me the opportunity to keep one of my favorite catfish for a full life cycle, also be able to keep my favorite family of fish, cichlids, as a centerpiece for beauty and personality.
Let me clarify what I feel like are very important terms in this post.
- “Euryhaline – able to live in waters of a wide range of salinity” [Merriam-Webster].
- To elaborate on the term tolerate may seem excessive, but I feel it’s necessary. I prefer 70 degree weather. I tolerate 90 degree weather, but do not prefer it. I also tolerate 110 degree weather, though with stress and exhaustion. Many fish tolerate brackish tanks and live healthy but prefer different water conditions. Some fish tolerate brackish conditions, but are severely stressed.
The fish that I am keeping are not merely tolerant of salt, they are euryhaline and seem to benefit from salt additions. Everybody knows that seemanni catsharks need salt. They are migratory, but they do inhabit estuaries. These fish need at least 50% the strength of seawater or a salinity of 18 or SG 1.012 as they mature. N. tetracanthus and C. urophthalmus are not just freshwater fish, not just brackish fish, and not just marine fish, they are all or none, they are euryhaline. I do not wish to put any of my pets in any stress in while I raise them. I actually want to give them the best possible life. Hearing that Mayans and Cubans are both just as equally happy in salty water, even breeding in it, has given me the opportunity to keep one of my favorite catfish for a full life cycle, also be able to keep my favorite family of fish, cichlids, as a centerpiece for beauty and personality.
This is a very good article modest man. I hope everyone reads this article. I believe is very informative for all aquarists.
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We have had many storms with flooding and lightning here lately. I found that my Emperor 400 and my largest Powerhead has stopped working. It seems that some of the brackish fish are similar to many cichlids in that they are rather messy eaters. I do have to say that while the Columbian catfish are somewhat messy, they do scavenge well, too. So, tomorrow I am definitely going to have fix my non-working equipment if at all possible. Filtration and aeration are going to be very important to maintain pristine water. Though, while most tidal estuaries are high in nitrates and phosphates delivered from the rivers, feeding the abundant plant-life, this is not idea conditions for aquarists. Here, we are actually having problems with the run-off from farmers' fertilizers. Our county water treatment plant does remove phosphates and nitrates to approved levels, but I am told that the other parts of the run-off from the fertilizers cause severe waterborne algae blooms. I have lost many fish due to problems this has caused, though the tank with the most problems had an African cichlid sand substrate. I don't know if this attributed to the problems, but that is the only difference between three tanks using the same tap water that I can find. Either way, I am considering upgrading my filtration systems anyways. Also, I was very interested in using a skimmer at the higher salinities, but, after talking with an advance marine aquarist, it seems that even at SG 1.018, the water will actually not be dense enough to froth and isolate waste proteins.
