A pair of Lago Petén V. melanura with free swimming fry
© Kelvin Simms
Cryptoheros spilurus, exCichlasoma pearsei, ex- Cichlasoma salvini, exCichlasoma urophthalmus, Parachromis friedrichsthalii, Paratheraps bifasciatus, Petenia splendida, Rocio octofasciatus, Thorichthys affinis, Thorichthys helleri, Thorichthys meeki, Thorichthys pasionis, Vieja heterospila.
Aquarium Care & Observations
Vieja melanura wide tolerance to different water quality certainly makes this fish one of the easiest to keep. For long term, I would advise to keep a large pair in a tank no less than 6’/ 200cm in length; community tanks should be much larger with a height and width of at least 2’ / 60cm. Good filtration is recommended as like all large members of Central American cichlids, they can become quite a messy fish. A strong flow isn’ t necessary, as they are considered lascturine, however, good water management by replacing 25 % of the water twice weekly will be beneficial to growth, health and colouration. V. melanura can be omnivorous, but are mainly regarded as herbivorous. Higher protein shell fish such as prawns can be offered occasionally, also offer plenty of vegetable food or dry foods with added spirulina.
The aquarium should be at least 6’/ 200cm in length, with a good filtration system. Decorate the tank with a sand substrate with a little bit of mixed gravel to give a natural appearance. Large river rocks and driftwood can be used to setup spawning sites or territory boundaries, especially if you plan to keep them within a large cichlid community. I have kept many different populations of V. melanura, but the two that stand out were populations from Lake Petén and Rio sarstun, Belize. The Belize fish are the red headed morph that displays a beautiful blue / green and yellow iridescence on the unpaired fins. The Lake Petén fish are an orange morph. The best way to get a bonded pair is to grow out a small group of fish. In both cases pair bonding and spawning happened with fish well before maturation, sometimes at only 5”/ 12cm in size. Sexual dimorphism in young fish is quite weak, however, older fish become more apparent. Males become more colourful, develop a thicker profile and display a steeper cranial profile. Both dominant sexes will develop a large nuchal hump over time, but this will be more noticeable in males.
15