I'm growing out a group of microphthalmus fry that I got fro COA and am looking for some fish from the same habitat to keep with them. Tank will be a 150g will high current, can't find a lot of habitat info for these fish. What other cichlids are found with these guys in the wild?
What to keep with chuco microphthalmus
- Thread starter jgentry
- Start date
The only collection location listed on Cichlid Room Companion (San Francisco, Guatemala) lists them as the only cichlid species collected. I know Rusty Wessel and Eric Hanneman collected them and brought them back to the hobby. Maybe try shooting one of them an email to see if they recall what else was collected in the area.
Another site shows the holotype from Rio Motagua, which CRC lists contains the following species:
Cichlid species found (probably incomplete list) (17):
•Archocentrus spinosissimus Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902
•Astatheros robertsoni (Regan, 1905)
•Astatotilapia stappersi (Poll, 1943)
•Chuco godmanni (Günther, 1862)
•Chuco intermedium Günther, 1862
•Chuco microphthalmus (Günther, 1862)
•Cryptoheros spilurus Günther, 1862
•exCichlasoma bocourti (Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902)
•exCichlasoma salvini (Günther, 1862)
•exCichlasoma urophthalmus (Günther, 1862)
•Parachromis friedrichsthalii (Heckel, 1840)
•Paratheraps melanurus (Günther, 1862)
•Petenia splendida (Günther, 1862)
•Rocio octofasciata Regan, 1903
•Thorichthys aureus (Günther, 1862)
•Thorichthys meeki (Brind, 1918)
•Vieja maculicauda Regan, 1905
Another site shows the holotype from Rio Motagua, which CRC lists contains the following species:
Cichlid species found (probably incomplete list) (17):
•Archocentrus spinosissimus Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902
•Astatheros robertsoni (Regan, 1905)
•Astatotilapia stappersi (Poll, 1943)
•Chuco godmanni (Günther, 1862)
•Chuco intermedium Günther, 1862
•Chuco microphthalmus (Günther, 1862)
•Cryptoheros spilurus Günther, 1862
•exCichlasoma bocourti (Vaillant & Pellegrin, 1902)
•exCichlasoma salvini (Günther, 1862)
•exCichlasoma urophthalmus (Günther, 1862)
•Parachromis friedrichsthalii (Heckel, 1840)
•Paratheraps melanurus (Günther, 1862)
•Petenia splendida (Günther, 1862)
•Rocio octofasciata Regan, 1903
•Thorichthys aureus (Günther, 1862)
•Thorichthys meeki (Brind, 1918)
•Vieja maculicauda Regan, 1905
Cichlidae.com was my first stop. Usually it has everything I could want to know. Nothing really definately about what lives with micros unfortunately. I found one article that said alfari on another sight but I do not believe it to be correct. I'll send out some emails like you suggested Jon, thanks for the advice.
I recall an article in a semi-recent BB by Eric Hanneman on these guys.
I've not kept them but had C. godmanni for a few years. C. godmanni was kind of middle of the road - not a pussycat but not crazy either.
They need good water quality and prefer being the dominant fish in the tank. Good tank mates that jump to mind include H. nicaraguense and maybe Neets. I kept my Chuco is a 6' 150g with Petenia, nics and randomness (bichirs, tinfoil barbs, etc.)...
Matt
I've not kept them but had C. godmanni for a few years. C. godmanni was kind of middle of the road - not a pussycat but not crazy either.
They need good water quality and prefer being the dominant fish in the tank. Good tank mates that jump to mind include H. nicaraguense and maybe Neets. I kept my Chuco is a 6' 150g with Petenia, nics and randomness (bichirs, tinfoil barbs, etc.)...
Matt
I'll check the BB journals. I emailed Eric so hopefully he will get back with me. Seeing as the BB journals have all but quit being produced I shouldn't have to dig to hard. Thanks Matt.
Below is the response from Eric in case anyone in the future is looking for the same information
"THe site was the Rio Amarillo right by the Copan ruins in Honduras. Its a tributary of the Motagua. THere were some mollies, swordtails, and mexican tetras, as well as gold aureums and I think spilurums. Also red tiger motaguense in the area. Other fish too, livebearers and a catfish etc.
I usually kept them in a species situation until they were ready to breed at 3-4 years. Then it often took some serious manipulation ie divided tanks, 2 pairs in a big tank etc to get them to spawn. For years I hatched artificially, then one day they just started raising them, dont know what I did different. THat was one pair in a 5 foot 100 gallon tank.
I kept them with similar sized melanurums, but they never spawned, though the melanurums did. THey spawn seasonally in the spring.
A really cool fish that takes a lot of work and patience. Dont be in a hurry to grow them up, they just get fat and have poor spawns. I hope you catch the bug. I first got some fry Rusty raised, from a pair spawning in a small pond, in 1995. I lost them entirely once and had to go collect them. I finally let them go last year when i moved back to Oregon.
They like to spawn on a flat surface mainly. I dirrected the inflow of the recirc system towards the bottom in a corner and they usually spawned where the water hit the bottom. I also have seen them use the inside of a large flowerpot.
Good luck!
Eric"
"THe site was the Rio Amarillo right by the Copan ruins in Honduras. Its a tributary of the Motagua. THere were some mollies, swordtails, and mexican tetras, as well as gold aureums and I think spilurums. Also red tiger motaguense in the area. Other fish too, livebearers and a catfish etc.
I usually kept them in a species situation until they were ready to breed at 3-4 years. Then it often took some serious manipulation ie divided tanks, 2 pairs in a big tank etc to get them to spawn. For years I hatched artificially, then one day they just started raising them, dont know what I did different. THat was one pair in a 5 foot 100 gallon tank.
I kept them with similar sized melanurums, but they never spawned, though the melanurums did. THey spawn seasonally in the spring.
A really cool fish that takes a lot of work and patience. Dont be in a hurry to grow them up, they just get fat and have poor spawns. I hope you catch the bug. I first got some fry Rusty raised, from a pair spawning in a small pond, in 1995. I lost them entirely once and had to go collect them. I finally let them go last year when i moved back to Oregon.
They like to spawn on a flat surface mainly. I dirrected the inflow of the recirc system towards the bottom in a corner and they usually spawned where the water hit the bottom. I also have seen them use the inside of a large flowerpot.
Good luck!
Eric"