Rainbow cichlazoma (Cichlasoma synspilum). How to Befriend a Rainbow Cichlazoma: Tips for Practitioners Cichlazoma vieja

Silver cichlazoma.

Habitat in nature

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

Description

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

Blurred dark spots (manifestation of banding), most distinct on the forehead, on the back, above the ventral fins and on the caudal peduncle. Typical horizontal black stripes on the forehead, broad upper stripe above the eyes. There is a black spot on the back of the caudal peduncle, which is smaller in females. With age, the color becomes more intense with a reflection of gray metal. Males are larger than females, with a steep forehead, they have more points in the upper part and on the fins. In young fish, sex is difficult to determine.

The main requirement for maintenance is a fairly spacious aquarium. Very high intraspecific aggressiveness, these fish are able to kill even during transportation. Aggressive during the spawning period, especially in relation to 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, as they mature, this behavior disappears. A rather large aquarium is needed with shelters made of snags and stones for females. All decorations must be well fixed, as the fish will often rearrange the landscape at their discretion.

Plants can be used, but most likely to be uprooted, floating plants can be used. Chem. The composition of the water for these fish is not very important. Filtering must be powerful, as they are big fish. In the wild, these are herbivorous cichlids. Use good quality spirulina vegetable granules, in addition to shrimp, mussels and fish meat.

Breeding

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

Rainbow cichlazoma is a large aquarium fish. She needs a big house. But the original shape and color of this fish, and even more its behavior, level out such annoying little things as an aquarium for half a room. A true cichlid lover will definitely try to get to know this species better. At least at a young age, taking care of their transfer to a more spacious fish farm, when the native man-made rates become cramped.

Synonyms, names in other languages:, Cichlasoma synspilum, Red-headed cichlid Paratherpas Synspilum, Red cichlid, Vieja synspila.
Range: Central America. Low-lying slow-flowing or stagnant waters of Guatemala. Rarely found in brackish waters.

Rainbow cichlazoma description

Appeared in the Soviet Union around 1980. However, it was not widely used due to the small volumes of indoor aquariums of that time.

Tsikhlazoma iridescent large fish. In the wild it reaches 30 centimeters. Behind the glass of the aquarium, it often measures up to 20 centimeters. The body is elongated and slightly flattened laterally. The head is large with the same large eyes and a huge mouth. The male has a well-defined fat bump on his forehead.

Body color is variable. It may have a golden yellow, greenish blue or reddish hue. The head is often red or crimson. The scale plates have a black edging. On the caudal peduncle there is a dark spot with irregular outlines.

The fins are transparent, often with a turquoise tint. The dorsal and anal fins, like all cichlids, stretch to the base of the tail and end in a kind of pigtail. Estimated lifespan in captivity is about 10 years. Sexual maturity is reached by the end of the second year of life. Omnivorous. Relatively peaceful. Married couples form in the first year of life, and if fate does not interfere, remain faithful to the chosen one all their lives.

Cichlazoma iridescent sex differences

As mentioned earlier, the male wears a kind of decoration on his forehead - a fatty growth. The female of this species is devoid of such a distinction. In addition, during spawning, the male develops a small pointed vas deferens in the region of the anus. The female has a trapezoidal ovipositor in the same place.

Cichlazoma rainbow content

Before use, any of the substrates must be properly washed so that there is no turbidity when the cichlomas take up their favorite pastime - digging the soil. At the bottom, it is necessary to build several grottoes from large stones, the dimensions of which should exceed the size of the fish.

The bottom should also be divided by “rocks” into segments approximately 40 centimeters wide. These measures will allow the neighbors to divide the territory into zones of influence and less conflict in the struggle for a place under the sun. And those who are especially tired of worldly bustle will be able to retire in a cave carefully provided by you. In addition, the caves of the grottoes of the gorge will help the weaker individual to hide from the aggression of the male, while you find other ways to solve the problem. Although it may not arise at all, it is better to foresee all options in advance.

Well, not an aquarium without plants ... so a trough with live fish in a frying pan. Although there is no dispute about tastes. To

green friends survived in the vicinity of cichlazoma, it is necessary to select species with large hard leaves and a well-developed root system. You can also plant plants in flower pots, which are then masked with large stones. Such that our underwater architects could not drag them away. So

you can also use plants floating in the water column, for example, Canadian elodea. True, she can

be eaten, but its rapid growth can compensate for the appetite of our pets. On the surface, you can put a few bushes of floating plants. You can also try to use riccia or duckweed.
Water parameters: The temperature in the tank for stationary keeping can be in the range of 24 - 27°C. pH= 7°. Hardness from 8 to 20°dH.
Lighting: Cichlazoma is indifferent to lighting. If only it were not pitch dark and not overly bright, as on the sunny side of Venus. Therefore, choose the lighting according to the needs of the plants you have chosen, and so that you feel comfortable watching the inhabitants of your indoor lake.
All cichlases require mechanical, biological filtration and enhanced aeration. If the water is contaminated with protein metabolism products or there are sharp fluctuations in the hardness or acidity of the medium, then the fish will begin skin inflammation, which will manifest itself as brown spots of irregular outlines. Do you need it?
Compatibility: A cichlid is a cichlid, even rainbow, even gray-brown-crimson. She doesn't seem to care about anyone. But he guards his territory like a kamikaze samurai. “We don’t need someone else’s, but we won’t give up our own.” Therefore, if you intend to keep several representatives of the fauna of the American continent, then firstly you need a capacity of three hundred liters or more. The bigger, the better. Secondly, all "neighbors" should be approximately the same size. And about the same value.

For example, the bluish-spotted akara may not be very good if the rainbow cichlazoma decides that they cannot live together in this world ... The joint cultivation of fry, the territorial division of the reservoir with the help of "rocks", thickets of plants can reduce aggressiveness. Be sure to have shelters with a total number exceeding the number of fish. Grottoes and caves should be larger than the largest fish. These structures must be made soundly so that they do not collapse on a living creature that seeks shelter in them.

: Rainbow cichlazoma omnivorous, but 80% of the diet should be animal food. , earthworms, fish fillets, live small fish, shellfish, shrimp, frozen and dry foods. The need for plant foods can be satisfied with lettuce, nettle, dandelion.
Breeding: You can also breed in a common vessel, but it is better to equip a separate spawning ground. The volume is about 150 liters. At the bottom, there must be several grottoes with a wide entrance and a flat, wide stone at the bottom. Spawning is stimulated by raising the temperature by 1-2°C and changing two volumes of water to fresh water in

during the week. When the rainbow cichlomas finally understand what you want from them, they sweep up to five hundred eggs on the pre-cleaned stone they like. All cichlomas are good parents and rainbows are no exception. They will carefully care for the eggs, and subsequently for the fry. Incubation lasts from 2 to 6 days depending on the ambient temperature. After this period, larvae appear. And in about a week they will take a horizontal

position, turning into fry, and will swim in search of food under the supervision of mother and father. Starter food is small crustaceans - nauplii, daphnia, cyclops. As they grow, juveniles should be sorted by size and switched to larger foods. And it’s also time to think about where you will put this whole flock ...

Additional information: All cichlid lovers are convinced that their pets are endowed with intelligence (do not confuse with intelligence). This is probably true to some extent. Dolphins can, like dogs, be friends with humans. Cichlomas also get used to their owner very quickly. They can distinguish him from other people. They take food from their hands, allow themselves to be stroked and even taken out of the water. What level of trust in a person! How to dispose of this trust a person depends only on him. I hope he turns out to be human...
Rainbow cichlazoma has another feature of behavior. When stressed, she can imitate helplessness or even death (although this is not an imitation). It falls on its side, swims in circles or in a spiral. May lie for some time on its side motionless, as if dead. As the fish calms down, it returns to normal behavior. Is it an imitation or is it really so bad for her - she alone knows. Therefore, I would not specifically create conditions for the manifestation of such behavior.
Another interesting feature. The truth does not appear in all individuals. War paint - in case of a conflict with a neighbor, several transverse stripes appear on the frontal growth of the male, which disappear as the conflict is resolved.

(Cichlasoma synspilum) is a large South American cichlid that can reach a length of 25 centimeters in captivity. The interesting behavior of the cichlid and the bright coloring make it extremely interesting to keep it in the aquarium. The body color of the fish can vary from pink to yellow and blue. As the fish grows, the fatty period growth on the forehead of the male increases in size, and its color acquires a bright saturated color.

Rainbow cichlazoma lives in stagnant and slowly flowing waters of Guatemala. In rare cases, this species of fish can be found in the river delta, where large specimens swim. The maximum size of rainbow cichlazoma in the wild is 30 centimeters. In the aquarium, males reach 20-25 cm, females are slightly smaller in size. Keeping this type of fish in an aquarium is not particularly difficult. It is only necessary to take care of the presence of a large volume of the aquarium. Steam requires at least 200 liters of capacity. When keeping several pairs together, the minimum volume of the aquarium is 500 liters. Life expectancy in captivity reaches 10 years. Males differ from females in their larger size, the presence of braids from the dorsal and anal fins. The male has a characteristic fatty growth on the forehead, which appears at the age of one year.

Pairs are formed already in the first year of life. At an early age, the first trial spawnings are possible, which in most cases do not lead to the hatching of fry. By the age of two, young specimens reach puberty and begin to actively spawn. The established couples last a lifetime. The fish are territorial, but with enough hiding places they can easily be kept with other smaller species of American cichlids.

The key to long-term maintenance of rainbow cichlazoma is the correct selection of the volume of the aquarium and high-quality water filtration. The fish itself is quite large, so you need to use a powerful external filter that will effectively remove nitrates and nitrites from the water. One of the favorite activities of cichlases is digging in the ground; gravel, small pebbles and quartz sand can be used as the latter. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the soil before using it to avoid the appearance of turbidity in the water. The aquarium should have the required number of shelters, and the bottom surface itself should be divided into several zones, which will avoid the appearance of territorial conflicts. During the courtship of a male, skirmishes often occur for a female, so the presence of grottoes and shelters will allow the female to hide from an overly ardent male.

A certain difficulty is the content of rainbow cichlazoma with living plants. The fish not only eats up young shoots, but also quickly digs out even firmly rooted plants with a developed root system. You can partly save the situation by planting plants in flower pots, which are masked with decorative stones. In this case, it is best to use plants with hard foliage (for example, various types of anubias). As an aquarium design, we can recommend you a biotope with heaps of stones and snags. This design has an original appearance and allows you to create numerous shelters for fish.

Rainbow cichlazoma is an unpretentious fish in keeping. The water hardness index can vary from 8 to 20 ° dH, and pH \u003d 7. The most favorable water temperature is 24 - 27 degrees. It is necessary to monitor the level of nitrates and nitrites in the water. When their content is exceeded, the fish can become lethargic and quickly die. It is possible to remove nitrates and nitrites from water by frequent changes or by using a powerful external filter with an established biology. Cichlazoma is completely indifferent to lighting. It is recommended to avoid excessively bright light and complete darkness. Enhanced aeration is recommended, for which you need to purchase a compressor appropriate to the volume of your aquarium.

Like most South American cichlids, the rainbow cichlid is a territorial fish. In particular, this behavior manifests itself during the mating season. Due to the large size and pronounced territoriality of this fish, it is difficult to keep it with other small species in small aquariums. If you are planning to keep several types of American cichlids together, we can recommend an aquarium with a minimum volume of 300 liters and plenty of hiding places.

Neighbors are recommended to choose similar in size. The presence of a large number of shelters and the distribution of the bottom into zones makes it possible to reduce territoriality and aggression to a minimum. In some cases, it is possible to reduce and even completely remove aggression when growing them from fry with other small-sized fish species. However, nothing can be guaranteed in this case. It is quite possible that during the mating season the cichlazoma will show increased aggressiveness and deal with small fish in the aquarium. The larger the aquarium, the easier it is to keep cichlases with other types of fish.

Mandatory presence of grottoes and all kinds of shelters. The number of hiding places should exceed the number of fish in the aquarium. Remember that small pieces of polystyrene must be placed under grottoes made of stones, which are covered with soil from above. This will allow you to avoid the danger of damage to the glass by large stones.

Rainbow cichlazoma is omnivorous. It should be borne in mind that most of the diet should consist of animal food. The diet should include earthworms, bloodworms, live small fish, fish fillets, shrimp, shellfish, dry and frozen food. All the necessary need for plant foods can be satisfied with dandelion, nettle and lettuce. If you wish, you can use special branded feeds that contain the required amount of protein components and carbohydrates.

Breeding rainbow cichlazoma is not difficult. Spawning is possible in the general aquarium. However, a greater percentage of fry output is observed during spawning in a jig. The minimum volume of such an aquarium is 150 liters. It is necessary to install several grottoes at the bottom of the jig and lay a flat wide stone. In a spawning aquarium, aeration and filtration must be present. Do not overfeed the fish in the spawning area, as this leads to a sharp increase in nitrates, which can lead to the death of fry. Remember to siphon the bottom from time to time and change a small amount of water.

Spawning can be stimulated by raising the temperature by a few degrees and by frequent water changes. It is recommended to change about two volumes per week, daily replacement should not exceed 30 percent of the total volume. The maximum number of eggs for one spawning can reach 500 pieces. Their cichlomas are laid on a previously cleaned stone. This type of fish is caring parents, so you should not track them after caviar is spawned. The incubation period, depending on the water temperature, can be from 2 to 6 days. A week after hatching, the fry takes a horizontal position and can feed on its own.
Artemia, daphnia and cyclops are perfect as starter food for fry.

You can use special dry food for fry. However, we would recommend that you feed them live or frozen foods. Subsequently, such fry are distinguished by a bright color and grow much faster, really when they are fed with dry food. As the fry grow, it is imperative to sort by size, and choose the right food for a particular size of fry. Breeding cichlases is not difficult. Having received the existing pair, soon you will think about who to give all the fry to.

When stressed, an adult rainbow cichlazoma can mimic death cramps. The fish swim in circles, roll over on their side, and may lie motionless on the ground for long periods of time. Subsequently, the fish fully recovers and does not show any signs of stress. During mating games and skirmishes with neighbors, pronounced transverse stripes may appear on the fatty outgrowth, which disappear after the conflict is resolved.
Rainbow cichlazoma have an extremely interesting behavior. They can recognize their owners and take food from their hands. Caring parents protect their offspring, actively swim and bring a lot of joy to both adults and children.

Rainbow cichlasoma (Cichlasoma synspilum) is a large, interesting fish. Of course, its advantage is a bright, attractive color. And the disadvantage is sometimes a violent, pugnacious disposition.

I happened to observe an aquarium with a rainbow cichlazoma in which she lived, a black pacu and a couple of labiatums. At the same time, even the pacu, which was twice as large as the rainbow one, huddled forlornly in the corner.

Habitat in nature

The rainbow cichlazoma redhead is an endemic species that lives in the Usumacinta River and its basin, which stretches through western Mexico and Guatemala. Also found in the Yucatan Peninsula, southern Mexico.

Prefers to live in places with a slow current or in lakes without a current. Rainbow cichlasoma is sometimes found in salt water bodies, but it is not clear if it can live in such conditions for a long time.

Description

Rainbow is a large fish that can grow up to 35 cm in length and live up to 10 years. Although in the aquarium they all grow smaller in size. She has a powerful, strong body of an oval shape, a fatty cone develops on the male's head.

It got its name for its bright coloration, from the head to the middle of the body it is bright purple in color, then comes yellow, sometimes black with a variety of interspersed with other colors.

Moreover, as they grow older, the coloring only intensifies, and sometimes it takes up to 4 years to gain the brightest color.

Difficulty in content

In general, unpretentious fish, not very demanding on the conditions.

Feeding

In nature, cichlazoma feeds mainly on plant foods. Fruits, seeds, aquatic plants and algae are the basis of her diet. But, in the aquarium they are unpretentious in feeding.

The basis of nutrition may well be food for large cichlids. Additionally, you can feed protein foods: shrimp, mussel meat, fish fillets, worms, crickets, and more. Be sure to feed with plant foods, such as chopped zucchini or cucumbers and.

Since this is a very large fish, the minimum volume for keeping is 400 liters or more. The temperature for keeping rainbow cichlazoma is 24 - 30 ° C, but if you want the fish to be more active, then closer to high values. Acidity in the region of 6.5-7.5, hardness 10 - 15°H.

As for decor and soil, it is better to use fine gravel or sand as soil, as the rainbow loves to rummage in it. Because of this, the choice of plants is limited, it is better to use hard-leaved species or mosses, and plant plants in pots.

In general, the plants in such an aquarium are atypical and can be dispensed with. It is better to add large driftwood, coconuts, pots and other hiding places where the fish like to hide. However, all this must be securely fixed, since rainbow cichlomas may well dig and move objects.

Be sure to use a powerful filter and weekly replacement of part of the water with fresh water.

Compatibility

Pretty aggressive cichlid. It is possible to successfully keep with other large cichlids, such as or, provided a sufficiently large aquarium.

But unfortunately there are no guarantees. Fish can both successfully live and constantly fight. Usually an adult pair lives quite calmly with each other, but with other rainbow cichlazoma they will fight to the death.

So, for example, I happened to observe a rather cramped and unkempt aquarium in a shopping center, where one rainbow was kept, and. Despite the tightness, the pacu always occupied one corner, where the rainbow drove them.

As a rule, to create a pair, I buy 6-8 young fish, then one pair is formed, and the rest are disposed of.

Sex differences

The male rainbow cichlazoma is much larger than the female, a fatty bump develops on his head, and the dorsal and anal fins are more elongated.

Breeding

The main problem in breeding rainbow cichlases is finding a pair that will not fight. If this problem is solved, then getting fry is not difficult.

The pair prepares a place for spawning, usually a rock or a wall in a shelter. This place will be well cleaned and rubbish removed.

But, during such a cleaning, the male can be aggressive towards the female, this is normal, but if he hits the female hard, then she must be removed or a separating net should be used.

After spawning, after 2-3 days, the eggs will hatch, and after another 4 days, the fry will swim. You need to feed it with brine shrimp nauplii, gradually moving to larger feeds.

Parents continue to care for the fry, but may change their attitude if they are preparing for a new spawning. In this case, the fry is better to plant.

Vieja red-headed (Vieja synspila). The specific name is derived from the Greek "syn" (together) and "spilos" (spot).

Indicates a band of "fused" dark spots running from the caudal peduncle to the middle of the body.

Habitat:

Rainbow cichlazoma lives in low-lying areas of rivers, as well as in numerous lakes. Sometimes found in brackish water, but mostly does not live there.

Food:

In nature, plant food predominates, in the aquarium it can eat specialized dry food for cichlids, live, frozen bloodworms, shrimps, mussels, small fish, it is also desirable to give a plant component and spirulina.

Appearance:

Length - males up to 40 cm, females up to 25 cm. The body is high, rather full. The body and fins are red-yellow-green-blue with mother-of-pearl tints, the head is crimson. From the caudal peduncle to the middle of the body there is a wide strip consisting of dark spots. The iris of the eye is turquoise.

The male is larger and brighter in color than the female. Also, as they grow older, males develop a kind of hump on their foreheads.

In the aquarium, fine-grained soil is preferable, a good filter, aeration, weekly water changes up to 30-35% are needed. Also in the aquarium you need to provide stones, caves, snags so that you can hide.
Rainbow cichlazoma is incompatible with plants, they will be uprooted or eaten. It is better to keep juveniles in a group of 6-8 individuals, adults - in an established pair. It is quite possible to keep with commensurate Central American cichlids, but only in a large aquarium of more than 500 liters.

Gender differences:

Males are larger than females, with a steep forehead. In young fish, sex is difficult to determine.

Breeding:

Breeding is only possible with a well compatible pair. To do this, you need to take a group of young fish of 6-8 individuals and let them choose their own pair as they mature.
The dominant pair should be selected for breeding and other pairs should be removed from the tank. A flat stone is usually used as a spawning ground. The clutch consists of 500 eggs. During spawning, the male becomes very aggressive towards the female, he can even kill, in which case it is better to transplant the female.

After 3-4 days, larvae hatch from the eggs, and after another 3 days, the fry can swim and feed on their own. The fry should be fed with brine shrimp nauplii or crushed dry food. Both parents tend to the fry intensively, but when the time comes for the next spawning, they become aggressive and the fry must be removed.

Life expectancy for Rainbow Cichlazoma is 10 years.

Water parameters:

In nature: hardness 10-20 dGH, pH 7.0-8.0, temperature 24 - 30°C.

Breeding: hardness 10–20 dGH, pH 7.0–8.0, temperature 25–28°C.

Note:

Vieja synspila has been kept in our country since 1980, however, it has become widespread only in recent years, when large aquariums have become widespread, and large cichlomas have become in demand.
This circumstance also explains the inaccuracy of descriptions of this species in the literature of past years. For example, A.S. Polonsky (1996) writes about V. synspila as a fish up to 10 cm long, requiring aquariums with a volume of 100 liters or more.