Villavicencio dwarf cichlid
| Villavicencio dwarf cichlid | ||||||||||||
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Villavicencio dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma macmasteri ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apistogramma macmasteri | ||||||||||||
| Kullander , 1979 |
The Villavicencio dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma macmasteri ), also called Macmasteri , is a species from the cichlid family . Today they are one of the species that are often kept in aquariums.
Appearance
Adult males are high back and reach a body length of eight to nine centimeters. As is typical for many Apistogramma species, the females remain significantly smaller. They are about six inches long when fully grown. The fish are very variable in their coloration. The distinctive features include the high-backed body and the particularly high dorsal fin in males with strongly elongated fin skins.
Distribution area and habitat
As is typical for Apistogramma species, the range of this fish species is very small. So far the fish have only been found in Colombia near the town of Villavicencio , at the foot of the Andes .
In this distribution area, the fish can only be found in zones with very low water levels. Young fish were found in regions where the water level was only one to two centimeters. Typical of this habitat are leaves that lie on the bottom of the water and a dense population of plants between which the fish hide.
Reproduction
The fish are hiding- breeders that prefer to lay their spawn in caves under stones or on the underside of leaves. The female looks after the brood, while the male defends the territory.
Aquaristics
Keeping and care
The Villavicencio dwarf cichlid should be kept in densely planted aquariums with hiding places and caves made of stone, clay or roots. A varied feeding with live food is recommended as the animals hardly eat any dry food. Certain dry foods like this type of food. This is special cichlid food.
Legal regulation in Austria
In Austria, the minimum requirements for keeping fish are defined in Regulation 486 in Section 7 and its Annex 5. See also the Wikipedia entry ornamental fish .
The following also applies especially to Macmasteri: The fish must be kept in a harem, that is, a male with several females. In addition, the following limit values must be observed:
| value | annotation | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size of the aquarium | 60 × 30 × 30 | Length × width × height in [cm] |
| Area for the water temperature | 23-30 | Degrees Celsius [° C] |
| Area for the water hardness | 0-15 | Degree of German total hardness [⁰dGH] |
| PH range | 5.0 - 8.0 | Acidity |
| Maximum value of nitrate | 50 | [mg / l] |
literature
- Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staeck: American cichlids. Volume 1: Small cichlids . Tetra Verlag, Berlin / Bissendorf 2006, ISBN 3-89745-197-2 .
Web links
- Villavicencio dwarf cichlid on Fishbase.org (English)
- www.aquaristik-live.de
- www.aquaristicum.de
- www.aquarium-guide.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Rüdiger Riehl, Hans A, Baensch: Aquariums Atlas . Ed .: Hans A. Baensch. 15th edition. tape 1 . Mergus, Melle 2006, ISBN 3-88244-227-1 , pp. 678 .
- ↑ BGBl 486., 2nd Animal Husbandry Ordinance. Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
- ↑ a b BGBL II No. 486 Annex 5, minimum requirements for keeping fish. Retrieved February 9, 2019 .