Questions about Satanoperca acuticeps and daemon

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Mythic Figment

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 27, 2012
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Florida
So I have always had the earth eater bug ever since I started this hobby. Here lately I have been shifting away from Geophagus and having much more interest in some of the more uncommon earth eaters. I have some Guianacara, tried and gave up on gymnogeophagus, and am on the lookout for some Biotodoma. Well I have taken an interest in two species of Satanoperca (acuticeps and daemon), but all the profiles I have read say they are very sensitive to water quality (namely pH, hardness and nitrates) and are very difficult to keep.

My tap water comes out at 7.8 pH, but settles down to 7.4 after about 12 hours. GH is 7 and KH is 9.

Do you think I will have issues keeping either of these species in these water conditions or are they just not possible to keep without an RO unit? If it is possible to keep these species in my tap water, any info, tips or hints on their care would be greatly appreciated.


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I wouldn't try the daemon without soft water. They are a species that does not seem to do well, long-term, in harder water. Peter was keeping them in soft water with a pH in the 6's and they looked great but they probably wouldn't appreciate Florida tap. I have avoided that whole genus for that reason.
 
ryansmith83 said:
I wouldn't try the daemon without soft water. They are a species that does not seem to do well, long-term, in harder water. Peter was keeping them in soft water with a pH in the 6's and they looked great but they probably wouldn't appreciate Florida tap. I have avoided that whole genus for that reason.
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That is what I am afraid of. I have read that daemons are the most difficult to care for with their water parameter needs. Jurupari seem to be the easiest to keep in the genus, but I have read many people still recommend soft water with a low pH for them even thought they seem to be perfectly fine in parameters matching FL tap water.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has kept acuticeps and if they are as bad as the daemons.


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I have had 6 S. daemon for about three years now, and have had no trouble with them. I had heard that they were prone to HITH and LLE if not given the "right" conditions, but mine have held up well with no special water parameters. They are in a 150G tank with a mix of other SA fish. My local tap water is around pH 7.4 and and hardness 120 ppm. I also have 10 young S. acuticeps (a recent addition) about 2" in length and so far so good with them ... again I'm doing nothing special with the water. Both species are wild fish. I may have just put the "kiss of death" on them.:headshake
 
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^ LOL lets hope not, Jim. Do you have any pics of your daemon? The small wilds are usually fairly cheap and I've always been tempted, but I'd hate to watch a beautiful fish waste away from my water (I still have horrible flashbacks of my F1 Uaru fernandezyepezi and their ever-growing HITH).
 
Currently have a Jurupari. When he first got into my tank he started to developed hole in the head and very strangely it cured itself (maybe initialy stress?). I never check pH just use vegas water with prime. My jurupari is doing extremely well, not sure about he other species you listed though.
 
notho2000 said:
I have had 6 S. daemon for about three years now, and have had no trouble with them. I had heard that they were prone to HITH and LLE if not given the "right" conditions, but mine have held up well with no special water parameters. They are in a 150G tank with a mix of other SA fish. My local tap water is around pH 7.4 and and hardness 120 ppm. I also have 10 young S. acuticeps (a recent addition) about 2" in length and so far so good with them ... again I'm doing nothing special with the water. Both species are wild fish. I may have just put the "kiss of death" on them.:headshake
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Hopefully not. I am considering getting some wild Satanoperca from Wetspot in Oregon. Shipping is surprisingly cheap all the way out here to Florida.

I am drawn to the vertical barring and high fins on the acuticeps more than I am the color of the daemons, but of course they are much more expensive at the same size than the daemons. I am nervous to try daemons after all the horror stories I have read about daemons just fading and dying.

Got any pictures of both the acuticeps and/or daemons?


ryansmith83 said:
^ LOL lets hope not, Jim. Do you have any pics of your daemon? The small wilds are usually fairly cheap and I've always been tempted, but I'd hate to watch a beautiful fish waste away from my water (I still have horrible flashbacks of my F1 Uaru fernandezyepezi and their ever-growing HITH).
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I am in the same boat. Very tempted, but would hate to see them fade away.


Empyreal said:
Currently have a Jurupari. When he first got into my tank he started to developed hole in the head and very strangely it cured itself (maybe initialy stress?). I never check pH just use vegas water with prime. My jurupari is doing extremely well, not sure about he other species you listed though.
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Jurupari are definitely the easiest to keep parameter wise. HITH is usually caused by poor water parameters, so it could have come from bad water and your water was better. HITH will go away with good water quality.



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S. acuticeps would be a safer bet for the spotted species, as they are a clear water species while S. daemon and S. lilith are blackwater species. All tend to be extremely nitrate sensitive though.
 
darth pike said:
S. acuticeps would be a safer bet for the spotted species, as they are a clear water species while S. daemon and S. lilith are blackwater species. All tend to be extremely nitrate sensitive though.
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I can manage nitrates with good maintenance, but pH and hardness require an RO unit (which I honestly should consider purchasing considering many of my SAs prefer soft water). I might pull the trigger on a set of four acuticeps even though $35 each is a bit steep. LOL


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