Vieja maculicauda (black belt) experience
- Thread starter darthodo
- Start date
My own experiance in the community tank, the fish i had was sub dominant, very quite. This fish was raised from 2" , so i guess a pecking order was formed. However...
The guy i sold him to along with my large pearsei, both were over 10". The maculicauda had to be removed due to bullying the pearsei, although they both had lived peacefully in the same tank for over 2 years.
Obviously tank size must be a factor and i believe raising juvs together is the best success for vieja/cichlid communities.
Growth rates, the fish was 9" within the year. They will easily attain 12" in the aquarium, with a good varied diet.
The guy i sold him to along with my large pearsei, both were over 10". The maculicauda had to be removed due to bullying the pearsei, although they both had lived peacefully in the same tank for over 2 years.
Obviously tank size must be a factor and i believe raising juvs together is the best success for vieja/cichlid communities.
Growth rates, the fish was 9" within the year. They will easily attain 12" in the aquarium, with a good varied diet.
The only one that I have seen in person was at least 10 inches. It was being kept in a 300 gallon with Red devils, Jags, Green Terrors among others. It wasn't abused in any way, in fact he had his adult colors and didn't look stressed in the least bit.
dangerous little thing i had one it tryed to kill an oscar so had to remove it but settled in well with my mates cons,rainbows and salvinis
Not easily sexed, they need to be vented for positive ID.
I had two. They were complete A-holes. Some of the nicest ones I'd seen since I'm partial the the variants with more blue/green than red/gray but I didn't fancy the ill-temper over common rd/midas or uros.
I had two. They were complete A-holes. Some of the nicest ones I'd seen since I'm partial the the variants with more blue/green than red/gray but I didn't fancy the ill-temper over common rd/midas or uros.
I had a pair.. when obtained the male was ~9" TL female was 6.5-7" TL. For quarantine they were in a divided 30 gallon (36"), layed eggs on the divider.
From there they went into a 125, where the male was always the biggest fish in the tank, and captured about 3' of the tank as his territory, along with the female. Tankmates were an 8" nicaraguense, and a mix of other fish - Crenicichla sp 'venezuela' up to 12-14", Petenia splendida, managuense (small), some female bifasciatum up to about 6", pair of motags, a few texas cichlids and green terrors- lots of turnover / churn in this tank.
Anyway, the male always dominated all of those fish until the pair was sold about 18 months later, at that time the male was over 14", very bland though, basically very light gray with a red tail, and the female had more of a blue sheen over much darker gray.
They were typical Vieja- begged for food, enjoyed tons of pond snails, and any other food offered, and able to stand their own with just about anything. They may have small mouths but they hit hard and when they get a good bite in on the flank those other fish pay attention.
I'd avoid much larger / stronger species except in a very large or densely populated tank- Amphilophus and Parachromis are just going to depend on individual's personalities and a lot of other factors whether the mix is going to work.
From there they went into a 125, where the male was always the biggest fish in the tank, and captured about 3' of the tank as his territory, along with the female. Tankmates were an 8" nicaraguense, and a mix of other fish - Crenicichla sp 'venezuela' up to 12-14", Petenia splendida, managuense (small), some female bifasciatum up to about 6", pair of motags, a few texas cichlids and green terrors- lots of turnover / churn in this tank.
Anyway, the male always dominated all of those fish until the pair was sold about 18 months later, at that time the male was over 14", very bland though, basically very light gray with a red tail, and the female had more of a blue sheen over much darker gray.
They were typical Vieja- begged for food, enjoyed tons of pond snails, and any other food offered, and able to stand their own with just about anything. They may have small mouths but they hit hard and when they get a good bite in on the flank those other fish pay attention.
I'd avoid much larger / stronger species except in a very large or densely populated tank- Amphilophus and Parachromis are just going to depend on individual's personalities and a lot of other factors whether the mix is going to work.
Great fish, and the good quality ones can be stunning. I had a male that was about 11" when he was killed by a tankmate, and he was extremely thick. There is a LFS that has one that is at least 14", and just a huge fish becasue he is tall and thick. He is stunning with a ton of red. As far as temperment, they can be mean, but for me after owning several, they have not been deadly or caused major damage, unless a female was present. All males (of any cichlid species) and they have been fine with other tougher cichlids. I think they are also one of the most interactive cichlids, and very active from a young age. The two I have now are extremely active and agressive going after food. The one (I suspect he is a young male), is growing very, very fast. These two came out of the same parents and I picked the two darkest colored ones, and it seems they are staying darker than normal, although one has a lot more blues, and the other is more standard with the bright red mouth area. I think a single one in a 75 would be great, as long as you get a very good quality one that wil look really good as an adult.
My experience with these fish was pretty easy. They mixed well with most of my other cichlids. When I bred them they were seperated so no territory issues, they were a great pair, no divider needed. I must agree with Josh, my large male 12"-13" was very washed out, gray and black was about it. The female 10" was a little better but still no intence color at that size. Here is a picture of one of the fry I still own (the parents are gone)
The only thing I'm confused on is the growth rate issue. These guys in my experience grow very slow...this fish is almost 2 years old and only 8". No it's not a stunted growth issue. Well good luck with your choice I hope my picture helps you decide....they are beautiful fish.
The only thing I'm confused on is the growth rate issue. These guys in my experience grow very slow...this fish is almost 2 years old and only 8". No it's not a stunted growth issue. Well good luck with your choice I hope my picture helps you decide....they are beautiful fish.