Hypselacara coryphaenoides or Hypselacara temporalis
- Thread starter jake37
- Start date
Depends on your tap water parameters.
The coryphanoides are very sensitive to pH and hardness, coming from black water rivers with a pH between 3.5 and 5.5, with little to no measurable hardness.
If held in higher pH hard water, often become susceptible to chronic diseases like HITH.
The temporalis is much more water parameter forgiving, found in the main flow of the Amazon, so will take neutral pH and more generic water hardness.
The coryphanoides are very sensitive to pH and hardness, coming from black water rivers with a pH between 3.5 and 5.5, with little to no measurable hardness.
If held in higher pH hard water, often become susceptible to chronic diseases like HITH.
The temporalis is much more water parameter forgiving, found in the main flow of the Amazon, so will take neutral pH and more generic water hardness.
My initial parameters will be tds 125, kh 3 gh 6; but over time (3 to 6 months) it will lower to 70-80 tds, kh 1-2, gh 3 - it is a 550 and the initial fill was tap but the drip system will be 50% tap 50% ro at around 3 gallons per hour so definitely not blackwater but hardwater.
If the parameters are fine then is there a preference for one species over the other. I know coryphanoides are less common but that aspect is not important (to myself).
If the parameters are fine then is there a preference for one species over the other. I know coryphanoides are less common but that aspect is not important (to myself).
The link focus on conditions to keep the fish but not which is preferred still I think it answered my question as it sounds like the coryphanoides require true blackwater conditions which of course will make them mostly non visible. This is the blackwater tank i'm preparing (30inch x 48 inch) for another fish:
Unfortunately in such conditions not a lot is going to be super visible ;(
This aquarium currently has a tds of 25 - will be measuring ph late next week or week after but target is around 5.
Temporalis for sure. I used to keep one temporalis "Oyapock" It is such a playful cichlid and its color will change according to its feeling. Mine mostly stay in cherry red and when fed shrimp or some special feeder it will change to green color and beg for more, and one time it's got bullied by my synodontis, and it changed to dark red.
The above shots are my tank, temporarily infused with tannins, coming from rainwater that washes in from surrounding vegetation at the start of the rainy season.
Even though it's that dark, because my water has such a high alkalinity, pH remains 8 to 8.2.
You didn't mention your large tanks pH? But.....
My guess is, you would be better off with temporalis, unless the RO drip, and the addition of tannins can bring the large tanks pH down to 5, then the coryphanoides is a possibility
I tend to ignore ph and provide the kh/gh/tds. With a kh of 1 the water will be acidic likely between 6 and 6.5. Also the tank they would be going in has co2 injection which artifically lowers the ph without changing the parameter that impacts them. However, for the 550 which is the one they would go in i'm not going to maintain tanis jsut water condition. The new wood has leached a lot so it is a bit darker right now than the long term condition but the tank is too large to control with the 48x30 tank if i had to i could drain it and refill it without too much effort and adding leaves to keep the tannis is also easy. So i guess i'll go with temporalis. It looks like the cichild in the 48x30 will be a group of a. bitaeniata; though there is a tiny chance they will be Abacaixis or Megaptera.
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I could put the temporalis in the 30x48 but they might interfer with the apisto given they are quite a bit larger. The other fishes going in the 48x30 are marble hatchet and n. mortenthaleri
If you want an aggressive fish, H. coryphaenoides. Mine ate all my larger tetras and then started eating the eyes and scales of other large cichlid tankmates like Heros and Cichlasoma.