My Astatheros Macracanthus
- Thread starter Jimmy Side eye
- Start date
Nice cichlids, I have been looking for a pair, they are hard to find, and nobody talks about them... Not a lot of information posted on them. What can you tell me about them. What common cichlid would you say their aggression compares to? Do they show their teeth? I heard they had very strong jaws. Are they shy cichlids? What do you feed them? What size tank do you keep them in? What do you keep the temperature at? At adult size, do they turn a bluewish color? What do you like about this cichlid, and what you don't like about this cichlid? I know this is a lot of questions, but I have been interested in this cichlid for a long time and these are some of the questions that I have always wonder about, any information that you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 
Cichlidfever;4716889; said:Nice cichlids, I have been looking for a pair, they are hard to find, and nobody talks about them... Not a lot of information posted on them. What can you tell me about them. What common cichlid would you say their aggression compares to? Do they show their teeth? I heard they had very strong jaws. Are they shy cichlids? What do you feed them? What size tank do you keep them in? What do you keep the temperature at? At adult size, do they turn a bluewish color? What do you like about this cichlid, and what you don't like about this cichlid? I know this is a lot of questions, but I have been interested in this cichlid for a long time and these are some of the questions that I have always wonder about, any information that you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
I agree bro, these are hard to find! and there isnt much info on them.
I keep these in a 300Gal C/A Community setup with the temp at 78. They are similar in temperment to my Longimanus and Istlanum, i.e. theyre aggression levels are very low in the 300G, but in a smaller setup they become very aggressive with their own kind, and are then more like Robertsoni. There is the odd little squabble now and again, but as i have this tank fully stocked, there are plenty of distractions to difuse any real aggression. I understand that these will adorn a bluish colour when fully mature, they have a slight blue sheen already, which is difficult to catch with my rubbish camera.
I like how active and inquisitive this species is, they are very confident and constantly sift through the substrate for food.. In my opinion they are slow growers, mine have only grown 4-6cm since i got them a year ago.
These arent the most attractive species in my opinion, theyre quite dull and drab looking as juves, the real prize comes when they breed and exhibit a striking split black and white dress. I have been feeding them Tetra Prima granules and Spirulina flakes which they love, and occasionally they will take Hikari pellets from the surface, but mostly they feed in the middle to bottom of the tank.
I had been searching for this species for 5 years to no avail. I knew they were occasionally available in Germany, but always seemed to miss out on them when an opportunity to import to the UK came along. Last year a fellow member of the East Anglia Cichlid Group here in England, was planning a fish run to Germany and managed to arrange a meeting with a person who has been breeding an adult pair. I managed to get 10 fish ( F2 Rio Tuxepec )and was over the moon.
Bad luck struck and i lost 8 within the first 6 months to an unknown illness, but was lucky enough to be offered a group of four to bring my total up to six fish.Hope this helps bro, and good luck with sourcing some
Wayne