Acarichthys heckelii - Questions

[ryansmith83]

Please do not write off a seller for something like ich. Ich runs rampant in LFS/wholesalers/brokers, especially in colder months, because of the nature of moving lots of fish from different sources. All it takes is one fish and then everything has it. I have gotten multiple orders of fish from lots of the vendors here (Bluegrass Aquatics, Tangled Up in Cichlids, AquaScape, etc.) and I've had ich from all of them at one time or another. It has nothing to do with fish being hardy or sensitive -- even hardy fish get ich.

This is why you should always quarantine new fish. I keep a hospital tank in a separate room for every new order of fish I bring in, and the fish stay there for 4 - 6 weeks until I know they're eating well and show no signs of ich, velvet, etc. At the first sign of ich, I start a week of elevated heat and salt, and I've never lost a fish yet.

Having said that, A. heckelii are not sensitive at all, IMO, at least not the farm-raised ones. I got one late last year and he's one of my favorite fish. He's in a 150 with some Krobia, severums, and geos. He doesn't bother anyone and they don't bother him. He's grown really long dorsal streamers and his color really glitters in natural light. I decided not to add more because I didn't want issues with conspecific aggression. So far, at 7 - 8", he is very mellow and very hardy.

 

[12Inch]

Yea i quarantine all my fish in separate tanks when ordering online. I had a few other orders from them at the same time and all had something wrong and eventually lost all. Weird huh? I did not find it to be coincidental at all. I used to have great access locally when I lived in SoCal but here in AZ there are 0 good LFSs and I mean 0. I have heard that WetSpot is one to hold to high standard so Im hitting them up this time around.

It was a crazy experience and for me something new. Im not entirely OCD when it comes to parameters but definitely keep them cleaner than my lawn You guys/gals are fantastic so thx a bunch. Again much appreciated

 

[notho2000]

I've had a few bizarre experiences with 'heckelii' over the years. About 6 years ago, I had raised up half a dozen little ones to adult size over a two year period. These were wild caught fish. One 9"er tried to swallow a small corydoras. Needless to say, the Cory erected his spines and lodged in the 'heckelii's mouth, where it stayed for the better part of a day. Since it wasn't able to spit it out,I figured that I'd help by catching the heckelii, gently holding it under water, and gently pulling the Cory out. So I did that. Well, the Cory didn't make it, but surprisingly, the heckelii died right then and there. As far as I could tell, no damage had occurred to the heckelii. I think it died from stress. Further to that, I was temporarily moving another heckelii from its main tank (165G) to a smaller holding tank. The fish accidentally flipped out of the net onto the floor. It did not fall far nor hit hard. I gently picked it up and put it back in the tank. This has happened to me with many fish over the years and there was never a bad outcome. In this case, the fish died virtually immediately. (do fish suffer heart attacks??). Also, I have lost a couple from ulcerations in the head/eye area, accompanied by swim bladder dysfunction (related?). A friend of mine (a very experienced aquarist, especially with Discus and Altum Angels)) who also has kept them for years, lost several in ways similar to mine. I do believe they are a hardy fish, as long as their demands are met (stress reducing factors are adhered to). This species in my experience does not have a high level of conspecific aggression. Maybe a bit of chasing and sparring now and then but no damage resulting. Heterospefic aggression, they do not tolerate well, and tankmates should be carefully chosen with that in mind. most SA cichlids would not present a problem, the best being Geophagus/Satanoperca, Guianacara and Mesonauta. In a large tank (180G+), Heros and Hyselecara could also work well. [I would steer clear of Caquetaia, (except maybe 'myersi'), Green Terrors, and Red Terrors]. Also, don't overcrowd, religiously maintain a rigorous water change regimen, provide plenty of structure in the form of driftwood and plants (artificial are what I use), good aeration and filtration, and keep them in as large a tank as you can manage. I keep my temperature at 80F+. Now, having said what I did, I did not give up on keeping them. I have raised another 6 up from 2" to near adult over the last 18 months, without a problem. They eat like pigs (the others always did as well), seem totally at ease, and are absolutely gorgeous. BTW, these are farm-raised. Here are a few pictures of, what I consider to be the most attractive of all the SA cichlids that I've kept (including Discus). The first two show the earlier ones which met an untimely end, and the next two are of the present stock.