ex-Cichlasoma pearsei
ex-Cichlasoma pearsei
Written by Friday, 28 November 2008 00:00
General
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Scientific Name or classification |
ex-Cichlasoma pearsei. (Hubbs 1936)
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Common Name |
Pantano cichlid, pearsei. Synonyms: Herichthys pearsei; Typhlias pearsei (original description); Typhliasina pearsei. |
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Family |
Cichlidae. |
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Type Locality |
Río Champoton, Campeche, 34 km east of Champoton, Yucatán, Mexico. |
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Etymology |
Cichla (from Greek Kichle, a fish of the Labridae family known to ancient Greeks) + soma (Gk: body) pearsei (named after A.S. Pearse who collected the first specimens). |
Species Information
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Size (TL or SL in cm) |
40 cm TL, possibly more, deep bodied, extremely massive fish. |
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Identification |
The presence of a large dark brown blotch which almost covers the lower half of their body completely makes identification easy. |
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Sexing |
No sexual dimorphism. Females grow a bit smaller than males. Some males develop a nuptial hump. |
Habitat
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Natural distribution |
Lakes and low river valleys in south Mexico, Panama and Guatemala. |
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pH |
7.2 – 8.2 |
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Temperature |
24° C - 28° C; will tolerate higher temperatures. |
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Other parameters |
Moderately hard water. Will tolerate brackish water well. |
Husbandry
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Feeding |
Herbivore in nature, feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial plants found in river banks. In the aquarium, it will accept any type of food but we recommend you add some vegetable stuff in its diet on a permanent basis. Has a small mouth so don’t use very large pellets. Will basically eat from the substrate. May also eat algae from tank decoration. |
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Compatibility |
Very peaceful, ideal for any (very) large community tank. |
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Suggested Tankmates |
With the exception of large and aggressive predators (e.g. P. dovii, P. managuensis, ex-C. festae) any fish will do. Ideal tank mates are Petenia splendida, Parachromis loisellei, Vieja regani, Paratheraps fenestratus etc. |
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Furniture |
Sand as substrate, large stones, bogwood. Create tunnels as they like to swim under them. |
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Recommended |
More than 500 liters for a single pair, 1000 liters for four specimens – in this case a 2.5 m tank is recommended. |
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Behaviour in |
Playful, peaceful, gracefully swimming around the tank. A gentle giant. Will interact with its owner but to a lesser degree than large central American predators. |
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Other remarks |
Excellent parental care, produces large broods but does not breed as frequently as other cichlids originating from the same geographical area. |
Breeding
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Breeding |
When they reach the age of two years, pairs will be formed if tank space allows for that. If kept in smaller quarters, it may show some aggression towards its tank mates during breeding time which may result in casualties. Excellent parental care. Strong bond between the couple. Fry are extremely easy to raise. For a detailed account of spawning this fish see Keeping and Breeding the Gentle Giant, ex-Cichlasoma pearsei. |
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Photos by the author.
References / Citations
Gilbert P. and R. Gobeaux., Cichlides d’ Amerique centrale, Association France Cichid Edn., France, 2005.
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