Black belt cichlid rescue
- Thread starter Drgnball
- Start date
Is there a way to tell how old vieja are? Something to do with maturity and colouration? Or even fading as they get to older? It's all so fascinating
My syns is about 3 years old. Here's a short for reference (you can browse my channel for more videos of him) https://youtube.com/shorts/sBSyK1MowVQ?feature=share
Based on your photos and the way mine looks, I'd say your's at least 3 years old, closer to 4. Best bet is to go by what the last owner told you.
Hats off to you! Love reading rescue stories. Melanurus/Synspilum are wonderful fish. Just be obsessive with water changes and he will look brilliant in no time. Might end up being the tank boss though
Thank you Im doing 70% weekly water changes and test nitrates mid week and make sure levels aren't over 20ppm. So far he is a very docile fish and is bullied by my Oscar who I have had to seperate into another tank. He spends most of his time hiding away in between the driftwood.
His colours have improved a lot but I feel overall they may have faded? Day 4 and he still hasn't eaten yet so may still be room for improvement. He has some cuts and scales either missing or regrowing which may contribute to patches of discolouration.
Do their colours fade when ageing? I was told he is at least 5yrs old but his had multiple owners in a very short time so anyones guess.
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Just watches your video and wow he is stunning absolutely beautiful colouration. I really hope mine turns out like him. But mine has more of a greenish with a hint of blue to him. Either yours is a better strain or I just have to be patience
Some people think because Vieja are cichlids, they need a high protein (fish meal) type diet.
Actually in nature Vieja tend toward being on the vegetarian side, eating algae, and fallen fruit and seeds.
And in eating these type foods get the kind of vitamins that influence bright colors.
Here in Panama black belts are often found in brackish, even even straight sea water grazing of marine algae, which may influence the bright colors often found in wild fish, but not aquarium specimens.
For my cichlids I choose a pellet high in Spirulina algae, and also add or mix in pellets for vegetarian salt water species high in algae like kelp which is high in iodine, and other vitamins, known to enhance color.
Actually in nature Vieja tend toward being on the vegetarian side, eating algae, and fallen fruit and seeds.
And in eating these type foods get the kind of vitamins that influence bright colors.
Here in Panama black belts are often found in brackish, even even straight sea water grazing of marine algae, which may influence the bright colors often found in wild fish, but not aquarium specimens.
For my cichlids I choose a pellet high in Spirulina algae, and also add or mix in pellets for vegetarian salt water species high in algae like kelp which is high in iodine, and other vitamins, known to enhance color.
The guy I rescued him from was feeding it live feeders
so I wonder why this is the reason it's not eating yet. I have tried breaking up some algae waffles but no luck just yet. Will take your advice and go down to my lfs and get some other variety vegetarian pellets aswell. You recommend sinking or floating ?
If you give him some tlc, he'll look great. He already has nice shape.
Mature males can handle weeks of not eating after a tank move. So don’t worry too much about that. When I got one of my males at 9-10 inches he refused to eat anything for almost 3 full weeks. Then one day, in the middle of week three, he started eating everything that entered the water.
Your Melanura, or hybrid Melanura, (which I’m feeling fairly sure it is) looks to be 3+ years old. In almost no way possible is he younger then 3. But could be much older at 5-8+. I have raised Melanura from fry to adults in a large tank so I’m familiar with typical growth rates. Many variables can effect their growth rates like tank size, water parameters, and diet.
My observations with Melanura is that if they aren’t eating a lot of kelp or spurlina in their diets they tend to lose color and turn black. Black just like your male that has more black then color. Stress can also turn them more black.
Hikari isn’t a good food in really anyway for any fish. It has mostly fillers as ingredients. It’s junk that fish do eat.
Try Northfin Veggie pellets instead. You could get some Garlic Guard to add to the Northfin veggie pellets if he isn’t eating the pellets after 2-3 weeks.
Your Melanura, or hybrid Melanura, (which I’m feeling fairly sure it is) looks to be 3+ years old. In almost no way possible is he younger then 3. But could be much older at 5-8+. I have raised Melanura from fry to adults in a large tank so I’m familiar with typical growth rates. Many variables can effect their growth rates like tank size, water parameters, and diet.
My observations with Melanura is that if they aren’t eating a lot of kelp or spurlina in their diets they tend to lose color and turn black. Black just like your male that has more black then color. Stress can also turn them more black.
Hikari isn’t a good food in really anyway for any fish. It has mostly fillers as ingredients. It’s junk that fish do eat.
Try Northfin Veggie pellets instead. You could get some Garlic Guard to add to the Northfin veggie pellets if he isn’t eating the pellets after 2-3 weeks.
