Mesoheros Ornatum

[MattyV55]

Hey guys,

Was wondering if Ornatum could would in a 180 community with Geophagus Pellegrini, Severums, and chocolate cichlids?

 

[duanes]

I've kept ornatum with Acarichthys Heckelli, Guianacara, and smallish pike cichlids in a 150 gal without a problem.
None were much larger than 7" at the time though.
My ornatum were fairly slow growing.



If all are juvies, it will probably take a few years before crowding is an issue

 

[MattyV55]

Duanes,
thank you for the response! I have a few questions. Do you know anything about breeding these fish? WIll they spawn in the aquarium? How big will they eventually get? Are these considered a rare fish?

 

[jonclark96]

I don't think there have been very many instances of these breeding in the aquarium, as I can't say that I've ever seen tank raised specimens for sale. Anyone buy juvies when they were available a year or two ago and had luck raising them to adulthood?

 

[lunsforj]

I'm currently growing out 5 wild caught ones with G. steindacheri. In my experience, they start getting kinda hard on each other around the 3 to 4 inch mark. They are really slow growers. I got mine over a year ago around 2 to 3 inches and my largest is just over 6.

 

[duanes]

I have heard Guapote Mel (check out his cichlids on Youtube) has had a pair spawn, he had them in a 270 gal, and they look to be over a foot in length, at a little over 3 years of age.
I got mine as wild, 1" juvies (gave them away when I moved at about 7")
My alpha

took mine almost 2 years to go from 1" to get to 7".

They were very aggressive with each other at only 1", until I added some 3" Guianacara, which seemed to immediately stop the aggression.

I fed a high spirulina based pellet (NLS Algamax), and because they come from the rivers east of the Andes, kept temps in the mid 70s (those rivers don't really warm up much.
When I was in Colombia a few months back, I was surprised at how cool the waters of the Rio Magdalena were, even near the sea, created some serious shrinkage in places I didn't need it.

 

[MattyV55]

Thanks for the great response. That is a beautiful fish. Is this a difficult fish to sex?

 

[lunsforj]

Thanks for the great response. That is a beautiful fish. Is this a difficult fish to sex?

I find them difficult to sex especially at a young age. I think body shape is the easiest way for me, as the coloration of males and females is very similar. Males are more elongated.

 

[lunsforj]

Hey Duanes, you didn't by chance take any water sample readings of the waterways in that area did you?

 

[duanes]

I did not take any samples, but my understanding is these rivers are of neutral pH or slightly higher, and slightly alkaline, unlike the Amazon side of the mountains.
I agree about body shape, males being slightly more streamlined, females a little chunkier. It also seems like their close cousins festae, the females dorsal may have a darker color patch.