Zebra cichlid
| Zebra cichlid | ||||||||||||
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Zebra cichlid ( Amatitlania nigrofasciata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Amatitlania nigrofasciata | ||||||||||||
| ( Günther , 1867) |
The zebra cichlid ( Amatitlania nigrofasciata , Syn . : Archocentrus nigrofasciatus , Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum , Cryptoheros nigrofasciatum ), also known under the name of green fin cichlid , is a freshwater ornamental fish from the family of cichlids (Cichlidae). It is common in northern Central America.
features
Male zebra cichlids grow up to 15 cm long, the females stay a bit smaller, approx. 10 cm. Males also have longer extended fins and a stately forehead hump in later years.
Occurrence
The zebra cichlid lives in rivers and streams in Central America. In western Central America it occurs from the Río Sucio in El Salvador to the Río Suchiate in Guatemala . In the east it is widespread from the Río Patuca in Honduras to the Río Jutiapa in Guatemala. In the southern Central American countries such as Panama , Costa Rica and Nicaragua the distribution could not be proven.
Occasionally feral populations of A. nigrofasciata from former aquariums are known. In Europe, however, these occurrences are limited to thermally modified waters, such as geothermal springs or the outflows of cooling or sewage water from power plants and industrial plants.
The cichlid prefers rocky ground, where it can find shelter under stones and small hollows, or it hides under roots and plants. In large rivers it can be found in shallow, slowly flowing places. The water temperatures there are 20 to 35 ° C.
Way of life
The animals are cave and open brooders , who take care of the brood and guard their eggs and the hatched young. A harmonizing pair of zebra cichlids breed up to once a month. The zebra cichlid forms territory.
In nature, crabs, worms, insect larvae, small fish and plants are its food.
attitude
Breeding the zebra cichlid in the aquarium is easy. During breeding, zebra cichlids show all behaviors that cichlids are said to have. They become very territorial and aggressive, dig deep into the ground and layer it up in the process, uproot plants and take care of their offspring with great sacrifice. This should be taken into account when setting up the aquarium as well as when choosing decorations and roommates. The fry can easily be raised with brine shrimp.
Individual evidence
- ↑ JJ Schmitter-Soto: A systematic revision of the genus Archocentrus (Perciformes: Cichlidae), with the description of two new genera and six new species. In: Zootaxa. 1603, 2007, pp. 1-78.
- ↑ Hans J. Mayland: Freshwater Aquarium. Falken-Verlag, Niedernhausen 1985, ISBN 3-8068-4191-8 , pp. 253-254.
- ↑ M. Kempkes, J. Lukas, D. Bierbach: Tropical neozoa in domestic rivers: Guppies and other exotic species in Gillbach and Erft - causes, consequences, perspectives. In: The New Brehm Library. Verlag KG Wolf, Magdeburg 2018, ISBN 3-8943-2287-X , pp. 16–24, 86–92.
- ↑ Juliane Lukas et al .: On the occurrence of three non-native cichlid species including the first record of a feral population of Pelmatolapia (Tilapia) mariae (Boulenger, 1899) in Europe. In: Royal Society Open Science. 2017, p. 170160, doi : 10.1098 / rsos.170160 .
Web links
- Zebra cichlid on Fishbase.org (English)