Cichlazoma vieha. Vieja red-headed. Appearance and gender differences

Rainbow cichlazoma(Cichlasoma synspilum) - aquarium fish of the familycichlids or cichlids (Cichlidae) .

Habitat

Rainbow cichlazoma lives in the waters of Guatemala.

Appearance and gender differences

Rainbow cichlazoma has a moderately elongated body, which is compressed on the sides. Head fish large with large eyes, terminal mouth with thick lips. The fish can be painted in various colors: the color of the head is red or crimson, the color of the body can be brilliant yellow, reddish or green-blue. All scales have a black border. There is a blurry black spot on the caudal peduncle. The fins are transparent, bluish, sometimes dark brown spots can be seen on them. Gender differences rainbow cichlazoma: in the male, the anal and dorsal fins have a pointed shape, and there is a fatty growth on the forehead, a sharp, small vas deferens is visible before spawning; in the female, before spawning, a large cone-shaped ovipositor, blunt at the end, is formed. In nature rainbow cichlazoma grows up to 30 cm, in - much less.

Conditions of detention

Rainbow cichlazoma is territorial fish. Pairs are formed from a group of fish in youth. These fish can be placed in aquarium together with others cichlids and even others types of aquarium fish as long as there is enough space for everyone. Rainbow cichlazoma prefers to stay in the lower and middle layers of water. For content required aquarium with a volume of 200 liters or more, it should contain all kinds of shelters - stones with a horizontal and inclined arrangement, caves, and vertical stones to separate territories. AT aquarium should be placed aquarium plants in pots, preferably hard-leaved, as well as floating plants. Optimal water parameters for contents of rainbow cichlazoma: acidity - 6.5-8.5, temperature - 24-30 ° C, and hardness - 8-20 °. Water should always be kept clean, in dirty fish, inflammation on the skin begins - brown growths. Therefore, it is necessary to have powerful filtration and good aeration in the aquarium, as well as weekly water changes up to 30% of the aquarium volume. Rainbow cichlazoma can eat both live food (tubifex, sea fish, bloodworm, shrimp and cortera), as well as vegetable and substitutes. Live food should make up 80% of the diet.

Breeding

Rainbow cichlazoma becomes sexually mature at 1.5-2 years. Breeding it is possible both in general and in a separate spawning ground. To stimulate spawning, you need to change 2 volumes of water per week and raise the usual temperature by 1-2 degrees. The female prefers to spawn on inclined surfaces covered from above. She usually throws no more than 500 eggs. The incubation period lasts, as a rule, from 2 to 6 days. When the larvae hatch, the fish transfer them to holes previously dug in the ground, after 3-7 days the fry begin to swim and feed on their own. Parents constantly protect them. The fry need special food. It can be nematodes, living dust or cyclops napulia. If you change the water too often, scare the fish or transplant them from one aquarium to another, then they begin to stress. In this case, they depict the dying - they swim in a spiral, jerkily, they can fall on their side, but then it passes.

Rainbow cichlid is a freshwater aquarium fish from American cichlids.

In nature, they reach 30 cm in length, in the aquarium their size is smaller. The body is high and elongated, flattened laterally. The eyes are large, the lips are thick, the dorsal fin is long. The color is varied. In most cases, the head is crimson or red, the rest of the body may be blue-green, reddish or yellow. The scales have black edges. The edges of the fins are blue transparent, often with brown spots.

Aquarium- from 250 liters and above. The bigger, the better. Shelters made of driftwood, rocks, caves, floating plants are needed, and you can also place hard-leaved plants in pots. The rest can dig or eat.

Water: dH 8-20, pH 6.5-8.5, temperature 24-28°C, powerful filtration and aeration.

Rainbow cichlazoma is kept either with other species of the family, or in a species aquarium.

cichlid nutrition

Cichlazoma needs to be fed in a balanced way: sea fish, bloodworms, corters, shrimp, vegetable and granulated food. Live food is a large part of the diet.

Reproduction by cichlase sinspilum

Sexual maturity occurs after 1.5-2 years of life. You need to select a pair at a young age from a group of fish. The male differs from the female in a large fat growth on the forehead.

The aquarium allows you to open a window into the amazing, diverse world of representatives of the deep sea, lakes, rivers. What is usually hidden from our eyes under thin water can be seen behind its transparent wall and even make friends with some of the inhabitants. Rainbow cichlazoma (Cichlasoma synspilum or Vieja synspila) from the Cichlidae family is a good example of a trusting relationship between fish and humans.

The homeland of the species is Central America, the basin of the Usumacinta River, which flows through the southeastern part of Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. The priority condition for existence is a slow flow or its absence. Favorite habitats are lakes, low-lying sections of rivers. Habitual food - plants, algae, invertebrates.

Rainbow cichlazomas are distinguished by their rare ingenuity - they recognize their owners, calmly feed from their hands, at the moment of danger, quite healthy fish can perform a "death" dance, fall on their side and show no signs of life for a long time.

External characteristics

In domestic reservoirs, individuals grow up to 20 - 25 cm, in the natural environment they reach a size of 30 - 35 cm. The body of the fish is elongated, moderately compressed from the sides, framed by fins from the back and posterior fragment of the abdomen. The tail is elongated, rounded at the very end. The head and mouth are large, the lips are fleshy, thick. The eyes are large, with a turquoise iris. Males are larger than females, have a characteristic fat growth on their foreheads.

Fish stand out for their bright, colorful appearance. Each individual is unique, striking with original combinations of shades. Two-thirds of the head is painted red or crimson. The main palette contains pink, yellow, green, blue and black motifs. A row of dark spots stretches along the lateral surface from the tail to the middle of the body. The maximum intensity of the color gamut appears by the age of four.

Aquarium device

Home rainbow cichlazoma does not require maintenance in special conditions, it is content with what the owner offers. The minimum volume of the aquarium is 400 - 500 liters. The structure is equipped with filtration, aeration, and heating systems. The power of the devices is selected in accordance with the volume of the tank. A weekly change of 25 - 30% of the water is necessary.

Cichlazoma does not experience a special need for lighting. It should not be too bright, sufficient for the development and growth of plants, suitable for contemplation of the local inhabitants from the depths of the room. The composition and physical properties of water affect the life of fish, affect their development, appearance, and ability to reproduce. The following indicators are considered optimal:

• hardness - from 8 to 20 dGH;
• temperature - 24 - 27 C;
• acidity (pH) - 6.5 - 7.0.

The bottom of the aquarium is covered with soil washed in running water (coarse sand, gravel, small pebbles). Large stones and snags are used as decorative elements. They are placed in groups at some distance from each other, formed into grottoes and shelters, well fixed. Shelters should be designed in such a way that the dimensions of the structures exceed the dimensions of the largest specimen, and the total number of buildings covers the needs of all the inhabitants of the artificial pond.

The mating season for rainbow cichlases is accompanied by serious battles - a reliable shelter will help the female hide from an ardent boyfriend until the storm subsides.

The choice of plants is approached with caution. Preference is given to species with powerful roots, hard, large leaves, as well as fast-growing grass, freely floating on the surface of the water or in its thickness.

Behavior and nutrition

Rainbow South American cichlid occupies a certain territory and is ready to defend it by any means. Small fish species have almost no chance of survival, larger strangers will have to look for the fifth corner in the aquarium or sit in cover all the time. Thanks to the fighting character, impressive size, and intimidating appearance, the predator dominates and sets its own rules of the game. Raising fry in the company of small fish helps to reduce aggression, accustom to life in a team.

The diet is varied, including animal and plant foods. The main menu is represented by bloodworms, shrimps, worms, pieces of fish fillet, small brothers, shellfish. Zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce leaves, nettles, dandelions are suitable for garnish. You can use modern feeds with a high content of spirulina.

Breeding

Sexual maturity occurs at 1.5 - 2 years. Creating a couple is a difficult, not always feasible task, and the quarrelsome nature is to blame. For these purposes, you have to buy 6-8 young individuals. The appearance of a stable tandem indicates the formation of a new family, while other fish will have to part. All subsequent events require minimal human intervention.

A couple will feel more comfortable in a spawning aquarium under the following conditions:

• tank volume - 150 liters;
• temperature - 26 - 29 C;
• the bottom is equipped with a large flat stone, several grottoes;
• regular water changes (two volumes per week);
• complete aeration.

Parents from cichlases are responsible and caring. The father carefully cleans the stone, preparing it for laying. The female lays from 300 to 500 eggs. The larvae appear on the second - fourth day, after five days they transform into full-fledged fry. All this time, adults carefully take care of the offspring, protect and protect it. The first food for babies is cyclops, Artemia nauplii, small daphnia. The grown up young animals are transferred to larger feeds.

Subject to the rules of keeping, exotic fish will entertain the owners with their funny behavior and live for at least 10 years.

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Rainbow cichlazoma (lat. Cichlasoma synspilum) is a large fish of the class Ray-finned, of the Tsichlovye family. Other names: red-headed cichlid, red cichlid. Natural habitat - areas of Latin America (Guatemala and Mexico, fresh waters of the Usumacinta River), sometimes found in salt waters. Cichlomas prefer to live in slow-flowing rivers or in lakes.

It appeared on the territory of the USSR in the 1980s, but was rarely seen in home aquariums due to the lack of large containers on sale.

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Description

Rainbow cichlazoma reaches 30 cm in length in the wild, grows up to 20 cm in captivity. A rather large fish with an elongated and slightly flattened body on the sides. On a large head there are large eyes and a wide mouth that captures pieces of food. Males are distinguished by a large fatty tubercle on the frontal part of the head.

In cichlases, color variations in body color are varied - from gold, bluish-green to pinkish-red. The head is a contrasting crimson or red color. The scales are painted black along the edges. There is an irregularly shaped dark spot on the tail.

On the body of the red cichlid are transparent fins with a beautiful turquoise color. Like many representatives of cichlids, the dorsal and anal fins reach the base of the tail with a cichlase, ending in a pigtail. If the content in the aquarium is not disturbed, they can live for more than ten years, becoming sexually mature at the age of 3 years. They can not be called aggressive fish, but they eat almost everything. Adults form pairs for life, starting from the first year of life, which is rare among fish.

Admire the colors of rainbow cichlases.

Gender differences are noticeable - recall that males have a fatty growth on the frontal part of the head, the female does not. During the spawning period, a cone-shaped vas deferens emerges from the anus of the male, while the female has a trapezoid-shaped ovipositor.

The behavior of rainbow cichlids is amazing! They quickly get used to a person, over time they allow themselves to be fed, stroked and even taken out of the water. They can recognize their owner among other people. If a stressful situation suddenly happens, the fish is ready to pretend to be dead, turning over on its side and lying motionless. In conflict situations, specific stripes appear on the male's forehead, which disappear with reconciliation.

Conditions of detention

Keeping rainbow cichlids is not very difficult. Since the fish are large, the container must be filled with 150 liters of water for two individuals. At the bottom of the aquarium, you can pour fine soil (quartz sand or gravel), small pebble stones. Before use, the embankment should be thoroughly washed so that the cichlomas do not “dig” in the dirty dregs. In addition to sand, build large shelters like stone caves, you can build. Try to find coconuts larger than the body diameter of the fish.

To avoid conflict situations between fish, divide the territory into parts using pitfalls. Consider all possible ways to prevent quarrels. Sometimes males like to catch up with weaker individuals, so there should be plenty of hiding places. Planting plants in an aquarium is recommended, but you need to be sure that the fish will not eat them. Plants with a well-developed root system (including floating plants) and large leaves with hard plates will do. Some aquarists use duckweed and riccia.

Water temperature: 24-30 o C, acidity 6.5-7pH, dH - from 8 to 20. Red cichlids love soft light, the main thing is that you can see them among the plants. In order to avoid inflammation of the scales, the water in the container must be extremely clean. Biological and mechanical filtration, good aeration is the key to their health. Water change - once a week 20%.

You can feed cichlase with aquatic plants and algae, fruits and seeds, food for cichlids. Shrimp, mussel meat, worms and crickets are a delicacy for them. Spriulina poop, sliced ​​cucumbers and zucchini are also eaten.

It is better to keep one pair of fish, which will form when each individual is one year old. They can attack other cichlids, so when one permanent pair appears in the aquarium, it is better to move it to a separate aquarium. If this is not possible, create optimal conditions for the life of all fish (small neighbors will not work), build enough shelters.

See how the male and female protect the eggs.

Breeding

They can spawn both in a common aquarium and in a separate spawning tank with a volume of 150 liters. To stimulate spawning, it is necessary to raise the water temperature by 1-2 degrees and refresh ½ of the water during the week. Line the bottom of the aquarium with flat wide stones and grottoes. On a stone, the female sweeps from 500 eggs, which she will look after. Tsikhlazomy are able to take care of fry. The incubation period is 2-4 days, after which the larvae are born. In the next week, fry will form from them, which will swim in search of food. The first food for babies is Artemia nauplii, Cyclops and Daphnia. When the parents are ready for new offspring, it is better to relocate the fry.

Rainbow cichlomas got their name for their amazing color, they will decorate every body of water. Easy to keep, with an interesting character, the fish will appeal to the aquarist.