Umbriferum
- Thread starter Dmaan.
- Start date
Scientific name: Caquetaia umbriferum
Previous scientific name: Petentia umbriferum, Cichlasoma umbriferum
Common name: Blue Freckled Monster, Turquoise cichlid, Umbee
Location: South America: Rio Atrato to Rio Magdalena, drainages in Columbia: Rio Tuira and Rio Chucunaque in Panama
Size: Males-24” Females-16”
Feeding: Piscivorous (fish eaters), shrimp, crustaceans, insects. In home aquarium readily eat Beefheart, krill, mysis shrimp, squid, fish fillets, pellets
Body: Juvenile umbriferum are very difficult to determine sex. Both male and female have a somewhat light brown/grey drab coloration. As the fish matures males will develop a lot of blue speckling on the gill plate. The dorsal fin will become very elongated and a noticeable hump will begin to develop on it's head. Males also grow approx. 8" larger than females. Overall body can be described as thick and bulky. Adult fish body will have an overall green/turquoise coloration.
Morphs/Variant: Unknown
Tank Dimensions: 72” L x 28” W x 24” H
Temperature: 19-28C (76-84F)
pH: 7.0-7.9
Additional information: The umbriferum or “umbee” as it is known to most people is a large, beautiful, and aggressive cichlid. Considered by many experience Central American/South American cichlid keepers to be one of the most aggressive cichlids available. Selecting fishes to be housed with the umbriferum can be very difficult due to the strong, powerful, tooth filled mouth they posses. Most other fishes will be eaten or harassed until death.
Tank setup: Open water swimmer, lots of open space for swimming, strategically placed driftwood or stones for cover are appreciated. Plants are not suggested because this cichlid is very hard on it's aquarium decor. It is a digging cichlid and will root around digging any type of plant up it can. Place rocks strategically, digging may dislodge rocks and cause them to fall over on the fish or worse, hit the glass and break your aquarium.
Substrate: Any type of small stone for substrate will well suit the umbriferum, as they can be quite avid diggers at time, especially during spawning.
Compatibility: Juvenile fish can be kept in cichlid community type setup until size of approx. 6” obtained in which most umbriferum become very territorial and aggressive with tankmates. Tank of at least 500 gal. is suggested to house adult male with any other type of fish. Fish with same size and general temperament would be safest housed with umbriferum.
Breeding: Females turn gold/yellow coloration when breeding. Egg-laying open spawner, normally on rock or wooden pieces. Both parents exhibit care towards young.
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3292&mode=linear
Google is amazing
Previous scientific name: Petentia umbriferum, Cichlasoma umbriferum
Common name: Blue Freckled Monster, Turquoise cichlid, Umbee
Location: South America: Rio Atrato to Rio Magdalena, drainages in Columbia: Rio Tuira and Rio Chucunaque in Panama
Size: Males-24” Females-16”
Feeding: Piscivorous (fish eaters), shrimp, crustaceans, insects. In home aquarium readily eat Beefheart, krill, mysis shrimp, squid, fish fillets, pellets
Body: Juvenile umbriferum are very difficult to determine sex. Both male and female have a somewhat light brown/grey drab coloration. As the fish matures males will develop a lot of blue speckling on the gill plate. The dorsal fin will become very elongated and a noticeable hump will begin to develop on it's head. Males also grow approx. 8" larger than females. Overall body can be described as thick and bulky. Adult fish body will have an overall green/turquoise coloration.
Morphs/Variant: Unknown
Tank Dimensions: 72” L x 28” W x 24” H
Temperature: 19-28C (76-84F)
pH: 7.0-7.9
Additional information: The umbriferum or “umbee” as it is known to most people is a large, beautiful, and aggressive cichlid. Considered by many experience Central American/South American cichlid keepers to be one of the most aggressive cichlids available. Selecting fishes to be housed with the umbriferum can be very difficult due to the strong, powerful, tooth filled mouth they posses. Most other fishes will be eaten or harassed until death.
Tank setup: Open water swimmer, lots of open space for swimming, strategically placed driftwood or stones for cover are appreciated. Plants are not suggested because this cichlid is very hard on it's aquarium decor. It is a digging cichlid and will root around digging any type of plant up it can. Place rocks strategically, digging may dislodge rocks and cause them to fall over on the fish or worse, hit the glass and break your aquarium.
Substrate: Any type of small stone for substrate will well suit the umbriferum, as they can be quite avid diggers at time, especially during spawning.
Compatibility: Juvenile fish can be kept in cichlid community type setup until size of approx. 6” obtained in which most umbriferum become very territorial and aggressive with tankmates. Tank of at least 500 gal. is suggested to house adult male with any other type of fish. Fish with same size and general temperament would be safest housed with umbriferum.
Breeding: Females turn gold/yellow coloration when breeding. Egg-laying open spawner, normally on rock or wooden pieces. Both parents exhibit care towards young.
http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3292&mode=linear
Google is amazing
i read they need about 400 gallons but they are comfortable with a lot of other fish in that tank.
they do in fact need alot of space since they are truly open water predators....which takes up more space for a much larger and wider perimeter for a single umbee...meaning they can have a very large area taken by a single umbee and guarded with force and aggression.I'd say anything like a 200+ but more like 360 gallons and higher will be the very bare minumum for these cichlids
