Scientific Name: Nandopsis haitiensis
Common Name: Black Nasty, Haitian Cichlid, Odo Cichlid
Endemic To: The fast flowing rivers and streams of Haiti
Size: Usually 14 inches, though 16 inches is not uncommon (35-40 cm)
Temperament: Well, the name says it all, it’s very aggressive and should only be kept with other fish that can handle themselves, though they are more commonly kept by themselves or in a male/female pair
Water Parameters: Like all fish, this fish needs a tank with no ammonia and no nitrites and less than 20 ppm of nitrates. This fish likes hard water, but is not picky about the other water parameters, with temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s (84-92 F or 28.8-33 C) and a pH of 7.0-9.0 being acceptable, just make sure the water parameters are stable to prevent stress on the fish.
Tank Size: A single adult specimen should be kept in a minimum of a 180 gallon (72”x24”x24”) as this is an active and aggressive cichlid that is prone to banging itself up, a male/female pair can also be kept in a tank of this size.
Diet: This fish is an omnivore and should be fed low protein items (less than %50 dry weight protein) as this fish is very prone to bloating, and high quality pellets that contain both meaty items and plant items. For meaty items, some good ingredients to look for include krill, fish, shrimp, herring, and squid. For plant matter, some good ingredients to look for include spirulina, seaweed, chlorella, algae, and kelp. Some good brands include northfin, new life spectrum, and omega one.. Here are some good foods for this fish
New Life Spectrum Algaemax
Northfin Food Veggie Formula
Freeze Dried Jumbo Krill
Omega One Large Cichlid Pellets
Tank Set Up: The tank should be a minimum of 72”x24”x24” (The bigger the better) and be set up with a strong filter (a sump or canister filter would be your best bet), the water turnover rate should be around 10 times the volume of the tank (so a 180 would need 1800 gallons of water being pumped in per hour) to keep the fish and tank healthy. The tank should not have many large decorations as this fish is very boisterous and can get hurt on decorations, though small rocks, driftwood, and plants are acceptable (though the fish will likely rearrange the tank). This tank will likely need to be heated and it is recommend you put the heater in the sump or have a heater guard as this fish can burn itself on the heater or break the heater.
Breeding: You can sex a black nasty cichlid by looking at their genitals, the females is larger and rounder than the males and the females are mostly black, the males are mostly white, and the males also get larger and get a nuchal hump. Once you get a male and female pair that get along, keep the water clean and make sure they are being fed well and the female should lay anywhere from 40-150 eggs on a flat surface. The fry are VERY sensitive to poor water quality and fluctuations in water parameters, so care must be taken when raising the fry. The female will take care of the fry for 1-2 months. If the fry are not well fed, they may begin to cannibalize the parents.
Here is a picture from
duanes
in which the fry began to eat the male Thank you to
duanes
and
kno4te
for helping me with this care guide
