Rainbow cichlasoma (lat. Cichlasoma synspilum) - big fish class Ray-finned, family Tsikhlovye. 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. Provide for everything possible ways preventing 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. On next week fry will form from them, which will swim to look for 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.

Cichlazoma argentei or cichlazoma silver / vieja argentea description, content, nutrition, photo - 5.0 out of 5 based on 3 votes

Tsichlazoma argentei or cichlazoma silvery

(cichlasoma argentea, vieja argentea)

Cichlazoma argentea - magnificent aquarium fish from American cichlids. Habitat: Southern Mexico and Central America.

The maximum can grow up to 30cm. Color: silvery body with small dark spots, there are also dark blurry spots (striping) - they are clearly visible on the back, caudal peduncle and forehead.

Aquarium- from 150 liters and above. Wooden sticks and stones are needed. But they should be installed so that the cichlazoma does not suffer when it rebuilds the interior for itself. Plants are optional as they can be uprooted.

Water: temperature 26-30°C, pH 7.5-8.5, dH 10-15, powerful and constant filtration.

Nutrition

Food: The main part of the diet is vegetable food (eg algae), with granular food, shrimp and mussels just as an extra.

Photo

Rating 5.00 (3 Votes)

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 widespread did not have because of 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. 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

Rainbow cichlazoma

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 appear 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.

This photo clearly shows why she is called red-headed

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. Refuge required total number more than 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 fillet, live small fish, shellfish, shrimp, frozen and dry food. 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 - 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 temperature. environment. 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 transferred to more large species stern. 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 one 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. IN early age the first test 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, different kinds 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 range from 8 to 20°dH, and pH= 7. Most favorable temperature water 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 total 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. In the event that you plan to keep several species of American cichlids together, we can recommend an aquarium with a minimum volume of 300 liters and the presence a large number shelters.

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 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 found 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 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.

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