Uruguayan crenicichla
- Thread starter mrrobxc
- Start date
Not sure I haven't kept them before so no first hand experience but they're supposedly like oscars and will beg and eat from your fingers fast and breed easy (for a pike) in aquariums
Great - visitors are always welcome at CCA meetings (usually the 2nd Sat of the Month). We brought Dan Sharifi (Cichlids of the Americas) up from Florida to speak at our meeting earlier this month (and did a group buy with him).
Our Sept speaker was Pete Izzo on "Collecting in Uruguay." He generously donated a pair of C. ceilidochilus that he collected on his last trip. They're swimming in my fishroom now
My prior pair of Ceilos passed after several years of serving as the garbage disposals for excess and unwanted fry in my fishroom.
C. scotti aren't the most colorful fish (although there's a location where they've got some red on them) but are relatively sociable. I've kept them with Chanchitos and acaras too big for them to eat and they're fine. Not sure I'd try them alone in a 75g. Better to have other tankmates and some tubes for hiding.
C. Blue 33 is only found in one place in Uruguay, so it's not likely to be on lists. I've not kept them but similar to C. scotti, if memory serves.
We pulled some big C. punctatus out of the Rio Yaguaron (separates Uruguay and Brazil on the east) - way too big to bring back. Brought back some some smaller ones a few years ago - not really my cup of tea (gray spotted pike that gets like 16") so I think I gave them to someone or donated them.
Probably my favorite are the saxatilis types - really colorful females (red bellies) and different at every location. They don't get too big so a 55g or 75g could be fine for a pair or a group with some larger dither fish (Chanchitos or acaras). I brought back a group of little ones from the same location as Duane's a few years ago (A little stream on the way to Centurion that we called Cardoso after the gaucho we met when we were collecting there) and passed most of them to a fellow aquarist. I kept and grew out a handful and they were really fun fish. Lost the last couple in a mishap that cut off air to their tank. Planning to get more next trip (from a different location).
Also planning to get some C. missioneira. Although they're found together in nature, I've not had good luck keeping them with C. ceilodochilus (the missioneira end up bitten in half).
Unlike other pikes (from farther north in South America), I've had great luck feeding and acclimating Uruguayan pikes. Most eat prepared food like pellets right out of the bag from Uruguay! Once they get through the requisite case of ich from bringing them back, they're pretty bulletproof (other than, of course, jumping out, eating/killing each other or suffocating when the line bringing air to their tank comes out).
All hobbyist trips to Uruguay are with Felipe Cantera, who runs www.aqvaterra.com. Felipe's the only guy (to my knowledge) who has worked out the permits and process for folks to bring fish out of his country (you need to have the USFWS Import Export permit, etc. on the US side - he can't do that for you). Felipe plans everything out, arranges for lodging, food, travel, etc. It's a lot of fun, which is why I'm going back for the 4th time in Dec!
Matt
Our Sept speaker was Pete Izzo on "Collecting in Uruguay." He generously donated a pair of C. ceilidochilus that he collected on his last trip. They're swimming in my fishroom now
My prior pair of Ceilos passed after several years of serving as the garbage disposals for excess and unwanted fry in my fishroom.C. scotti aren't the most colorful fish (although there's a location where they've got some red on them) but are relatively sociable. I've kept them with Chanchitos and acaras too big for them to eat and they're fine. Not sure I'd try them alone in a 75g. Better to have other tankmates and some tubes for hiding.
C. Blue 33 is only found in one place in Uruguay, so it's not likely to be on lists. I've not kept them but similar to C. scotti, if memory serves.
We pulled some big C. punctatus out of the Rio Yaguaron (separates Uruguay and Brazil on the east) - way too big to bring back. Brought back some some smaller ones a few years ago - not really my cup of tea (gray spotted pike that gets like 16") so I think I gave them to someone or donated them.
Probably my favorite are the saxatilis types - really colorful females (red bellies) and different at every location. They don't get too big so a 55g or 75g could be fine for a pair or a group with some larger dither fish (Chanchitos or acaras). I brought back a group of little ones from the same location as Duane's a few years ago (A little stream on the way to Centurion that we called Cardoso after the gaucho we met when we were collecting there) and passed most of them to a fellow aquarist. I kept and grew out a handful and they were really fun fish. Lost the last couple in a mishap that cut off air to their tank. Planning to get more next trip (from a different location).
Also planning to get some C. missioneira. Although they're found together in nature, I've not had good luck keeping them with C. ceilodochilus (the missioneira end up bitten in half).
Unlike other pikes (from farther north in South America), I've had great luck feeding and acclimating Uruguayan pikes. Most eat prepared food like pellets right out of the bag from Uruguay! Once they get through the requisite case of ich from bringing them back, they're pretty bulletproof (other than, of course, jumping out, eating/killing each other or suffocating when the line bringing air to their tank comes out).
All hobbyist trips to Uruguay are with Felipe Cantera, who runs www.aqvaterra.com. Felipe's the only guy (to my knowledge) who has worked out the permits and process for folks to bring fish out of his country (you need to have the USFWS Import Export permit, etc. on the US side - he can't do that for you). Felipe plans everything out, arranges for lodging, food, travel, etc. It's a lot of fun, which is why I'm going back for the 4th time in Dec!
Matt
Thank you Matt! That's a lot of great information. I have a sole male saxatilis from Ken that I purchased last year. The female died in transit due to mishaps when shipping unfortunately. I would love to secure a pair sometime again.
Have fun on your trip. I hope to meet you in person when I get a chance to attend a CCA meeting.
Have fun on your trip. I hope to meet you in person when I get a chance to attend a CCA meeting.
Here is the Uruguayan 75. I have a pair of australaheros. Not sure on species since they were contaminants with a group of burquina that were labeled as port acaras. Also have 4 Balzanii (1M/2F).
Also have white cloud minnows and variatus platys as dithers which will be pike food in the future.
Also have white cloud minnows and variatus platys as dithers which will be pike food in the future.
Ken just got back today. The usual spots were flooded and they didn't catch any this time.
I have his last three
I have his last three
