Australoheros Oblongum and Gymnogeophagus
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I keep Gymnogeophagus quilero with Australoheros sp red ceibal", in the pond in spring thru fall in Milwaukee, water temps down into the high 40sF. In house when the pond freezes solid to the bottom in winter
I believe oblongum and "red ceibal" are considered simply location variants by some, separate species by others.
I believe oblongum and "red ceibal" are considered simply location variants by some, separate species by others.
Since we don't know where "oblongum" are from, it's hard to say. I've heard from their keepers that don't seem to require the cool down period other Australoheros require for normal lifespans. This plus the increasing exploration and collecting coming out of Uruguay makes me think they are found in Brasil, possibly along the south eastern coast area. It's an area that isn't collected commercially and with the Brazilian restrictions, there aren't people flying down to collect the area.
I have a back yard pond as well and I'm in Iowa. Haven't tried doing mine out there though. What do you run on your pond filtration wise? Just curious.I keep Gymnogeophagus quilero with Australoheros sp red ceibal", in the pond in spring thru fall in Milwaukee, water temps down into the high 40sF. In house when the pond freezes solid to the bottom in winter
I believe oblongum and "red ceibal" are considered simply location variants by some, separate species by others.
I currently keep both A. oblongum and A. sp. 'red ceibal', but in different tanks. They are quite different fish in terms of shape, color, and temperament.
Initially I placed my A. oblongum in a 125 gal Gymno tank (unheated: warm summers, cool winters), but they almost always seemed less than healthy (milky fin tips, lethargic at times, stringy feces at times) even when all the other fish were doing great. Eventually I moved them to a consistently warmer tank with acaras and orange-head Tapajos, and there they are thriving. I spoke with the person who sold me these fish and he commented that a cooling down period is neither needed nor desirable for this species. My experience matches that.
By contrast, my red ceibals are thriving in the gymno tank with the cool-down period. (I purchased them shortly after moving the A. oblongum out). They are growing fast, have great colors, and show none of the signs of lethargy or poor condition I experienced with A. oblongum.
Initially I placed my A. oblongum in a 125 gal Gymno tank (unheated: warm summers, cool winters), but they almost always seemed less than healthy (milky fin tips, lethargic at times, stringy feces at times) even when all the other fish were doing great. Eventually I moved them to a consistently warmer tank with acaras and orange-head Tapajos, and there they are thriving. I spoke with the person who sold me these fish and he commented that a cooling down period is neither needed nor desirable for this species. My experience matches that.
By contrast, my red ceibals are thriving in the gymno tank with the cool-down period. (I purchased them shortly after moving the A. oblongum out). They are growing fast, have great colors, and show none of the signs of lethargy or poor condition I experienced with A. oblongum.
I use a DIY foam fractionator/bio-column from plans on koiphen.com (although mine is scaled down in size), and there is a stock mechanical pond sponge filter in a box, pre-suction end of the pump. Here's a little video of of it working.
Interesting to hear the oblongum are very different than ceibals, although if they are from warmer parts of Brazil, it makes sense.
Red Ceibal and oblongum are quite different fish.
Red Ceibal (from the same Arroyo as Quilero by the way) are quite pugnacious and get 6-7" eventually. I've collected the stream where they're from and it's downright chilly, even at the end of the summer (March). My group is in a tank that gets to the upper 50s in the winter.
Oblongum are of unknown origin and are quite a bit smaller and less nasty than Red Ceibal. I've kept them with Gymnogeos without issue and in tanks that cool to upper 50s/lower 60s in the winter.
Matt
Red Ceibal (from the same Arroyo as Quilero by the way) are quite pugnacious and get 6-7" eventually. I've collected the stream where they're from and it's downright chilly, even at the end of the summer (March). My group is in a tank that gets to the upper 50s in the winter.
Oblongum are of unknown origin and are quite a bit smaller and less nasty than Red Ceibal. I've kept them with Gymnogeos without issue and in tanks that cool to upper 50s/lower 60s in the winter.
Matt
Biggest Oblongum I've seen (male I have now) is four inches. I've read they can get up to five. I've never kept Red Ceibal (have seen some amazing spawning colors for them in videos), but Oblongum just strike me as a completely different look. Guess that's why I like them so much.
