Laetacara dorsigera . Also known as the Red -Breasted Cichlid or Acara bobo because it is easily caught by hand in the wild. It is a cichlid native to South America, found in lowland areas of Bolivia , the Paraná basin, the Paraguay River (in Brazil and Paraguay) and the middle course of the Paraná River in Argentina.
Summary
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- 1 Distribution
- 1 Etymology
- 2 Main features
- 2 Aquarium
- 1 Differences between sexes
- 3 Fuente
Distribution
This freshwater fish can be found in Paraguay , lowlands of Bolivia and in Brazil in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso . Amazonas River Basin , Guaporé River Basin , Paraná Basin, Paraguay River (in Brazil and Paraguay) and middle course of Paraná River in Argentina. It inhabits area of influence of the Pantanal, where there are two clearly differentiated seasons, the dry and the rainy season.
Etymology
The name of the genus, Laetacara, is formed from the Latin word “laetus cheerful, and acara cichlid” in Guarani, so that Laetacara means “cheerful cichlid” or “smiling cichlid”. First import: It was made in 1977, although more details are unknown. The name of the species was not explained by Heckel when he described this species, even so it is believed that it could refer to the black spot that this fish has in the center of the dorsal fin.
Main features
Oval in shape, laterally compressed, it has a rounded caudal fin, high caudal peduncle. Yellow -brown tones predominate, primarily highlighting the reddish tone that goes from the mouth to the lower middle area, which gives it its common name, “Red-breasted cichlid”.
A horizontal black band crosses from the eye to the middle of its body, in the posterior half there are five noticeable vertical bands characteristic of this species. They have fins with bluish or reddish tones and at the base of the dorsal fin they have a small black spot.
This fish ranges between 9 and 11cm in length, with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8, GH less than 10ºd. The relatively wide range of pH in nature is given by what was explained above, that is, by the two clearly differentiated seasons at the end of the year. They are quite sensitive to water quality; in particular, a high amount of nitrates can cause exophthalmia (bulging eyes), which leaves fish blind. At a temperature between 22 and 27ºC.
Aquarium
Red-breasted cichlid or Acara bobo in an aquarium
To be kept in an aquarium, certain standards must exist for a better habitat for this freshwater fish. From 60 liters, well planted and with flat stones at the bottom, since it is mostly where they will lay their eggs, they can also be provided with cavities to offer them shelter. Ideal for a community aquarium, they are more peaceful and less territorial, however during the breeding season they obviously become somewhat more territorial. You have to be careful because they tend to jump if they are threatened, so it is convenient to put lids on the aquariums that contain them.
For its feeding, it prefers live or freeze-dried food, accepts flake and/or pelletized food for fish. Accepts porridge, daphnia, brine shrimp, red larva, scales. It is convenient in the event that we do not supply it with porridge, periodically give it a supply of vegetable food, since otherwise, this contribution will be taken from the plants.
differences between the sexes
The males are slightly larger than the females, the anal and dorsal fins end in a point while those of the females have a rounded ending and according to Römer, if the male and the female come from the same area, the ventral area of the females it will be redder. Females usually have a black mark at the base of the dorsal fin.
Pacific with fish of similar size. Very territorial when it comes to establishing its space for reproduction. It is an open substrate incubator for biparental care. After carefully cleaning the stones, the female lays approximately 100 to 300 eggs.
They will hatch between 40 and 60 hours later depending on the temperature of the water. It is very likely that the parents will change the placement in this period. Once they swim freely we can supply them with artemia nauplii