AkuaRium

mozacs

Common name/s: Electric Yellow, Yellow Lab, Lemon Yellow

Scientific name:Labidochromis Caeruleus

Family:Cichlidae

Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa

Maximum size: 5"

Care: This is a hardy and easily kept cichlid from the mbuna family, and an excellent choice for beginners and experienced aquarists alike. They are a very social fish that do well in groups of 3 or more. The minimum recommended tank size for these fish is 30 gallons. The aquarium should be decorated with a number of hiding spots including caves of various sizes. Sand substrate is appreciated by these fish, but is not necessary. Yellow Lab's are best kept in water with a PH of 7.5 or higher, at a temperature between 75

mozacs

Common name/s: Electric Blue Johannii, Blue Mbuna

Scientific name: Melanochromis johannii; previously Pseudotropheus johannii

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Lake Malawi (Africa)

Maximum size: 6"

Care: These fish require a tank of at least 40 gallons, and prefer other cichlids of the mbuna family. One of the more popular of African cichlids, you will probably be able to find this fish in one of your LFS. They are decently hardy, and can take a little bit of a begginers' mistakes. Prefers a PH of about 8. These fish usually swim around the middle, or lower levels of the tank. Prefers a temp of around 78-82 degresse F.

Feeding: Feed daily. Eats pellets, sticks, flakes, blood worms and baby shrimp.

Sexing and breeding: Easy to breed, this fish will produce about a dozen or more with each batch of fry. Since these fish are mouth brooders the female is best removed to another tank, and when she stops feeding and her brood pouch (Buchal Pouch) is full. After 14 days or so, the female will spit out her fully formed fry, and quickly lose intrest in them. You can put her back in your main tank. the fry are pretty big already, so you can just feed them broken up flakes.

mozacs

Common name: Jewel Cichlid

Scientific name: Hemichromis guttatus, often confused with Hemichromis Bimaculatus

Family: Cichlidae

Origin : They are widespread over north-central Africa to the south west coast, occuring in parts of Egypt and Sudan as well as in the Congo basin.

Maximum size: They usually attain lengths of about 10cm/4".

Water parameters: Jewel Cichlids are renowned for their tolerance of a large variety of water conditions. Occuring in many different habitats within parts of Africa, they have adapted to different conditions, so they are generally unfussy when it comes to water quality. Some are even found in Brackish waters. In the aquarium a pH of 6.5-7.5 is prefered with minimal hardness. Temperatures should be from 23-28C/74-82F and they will cope with minor fluctuations. They will tolerate a high level of nitrogen, however the water quality should not be neglected, keeping ammonia and nitrite at 0 and Nitrates low. They also prefer slow moving waters, so do not keep them in tanks with powerful filter flows.

Diet: They will eat a large variety of foods, in the wild they are carnivorous, so a meaty diet is prefered. A staple diet of a high quality flake or pellet will be required with other foods such as frozen and live foods. Bloodworm is accepted with relish aswell as river shrimp, earthworms and prawns. Supplement occasionaly with beef heart. In the wild they feed primarily off the fry of other fishes.

Care: The Jewel Cichlid is a fantastic Cichlid, but with a reputation of aggression. Specimins often show magnificent colours with a deep to light red and a speckling of blue. Hemichromis guttatus is commonly mislabled as Hemichromis bimaculatus. Hemichromis bimaculatus are never seen in the trade so you can bet it is truly guttatus. They are very aggressive and territorial and many would suggest that they should not be kept in a community setup. However, I have found them to be quite peaceful if allowed a spacious tank with plenty of hiding places. They seem to be more aggresive to their own species or species from the same genera. Once a pair has spawned they may fight and you will have to seperate them. A minimum tank size of 100cm-120cm/40"-48" will be fine to keep them, provide lots of hiding places in the form of wood and rocks and (in my opinion) they will do better when it is densely planted. They will live for quite long having a average life span of about 5-10 years, some may grow older. Do not keep with very small fish as they may view them as a snack.

Sexing and Breeding: Sexing is somewhat difficult. Mature specimins can be sexed, but with experience. I was lucky enough to end up with a pair. The best chance is to keep a group of juveniles and later select a pair. They can be very decieving, one day a pair may be swimming merrily together in perfect harmony, the next day one may decide they are not compatable and the male will normally bully the other to death. Relative to their size, Jewels need a large spacious tank with plenty of retreats. A tank of 100cm-120cm/40"-48" will be fine for a pair. They are notoriously difficult to breed, not because of their desire for good water quality, but because often pairs will decide they are not compatable. If you do want to attempt breeding them, have a tank divider at the ready just in case and create two well-defined territories. Condition the pair on frozen and live foods before hand. They are open substrate spawners, so provide a flat surface such as slate. They guard the eggs until they hatch and will protect the fry. Feed the fry on newly hatched brine shrimp and liquid fry food, later changing to crushed flake and tablet. After a few months it is best to remove the fry to a seperate rearing tank. After spawning the male and female may turn on eachother, I have experienced this and witnessed the loss of half the females tail. They are now in seperate tanks.

Availability: Jewel Cichlids used to be far more popular in the aquarium trade, perhaps because people are now put off with their aggresion. You will still, however, see them regulary in most aquarium stores along occasionaly with other species from the same genera such as H. lifalili, H. stellifer and H. cristatus.

Here is my female in a community setup:

Reduced: 70% of original size [ 1024 x 768 ] - Click to view full image


Reduced: 70% of original size [ 1024 x 768 ] - Click to view full image


Reduced: 70% of original size [ 1024 x 768 ] - Click to view full image

mizahanan

ni aku ade........ tq moz

mizahanan

ade..............

mizahanan

ni jahat kan?

mozacs

Common name/s: Kenyi

Scientific name: Maylandia Lombardoi, Pseudotropheus lombardoi and Metriaclima lombardoi

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Mbenji Island and Nkomo Reef, both of Lake Malawi, Africa

Maximum size: 6"

Care: This is an extremely aggressive species from the mbuna family, and their hostile nature must be taken into consideration before buying them. Unfortunately they are very widely distributed and sold to unsuspecting fish keepers all too often. The minimum recommended tank size for these fish is a four foot 75 gallon. The aquarium should be decorated with a number of hiding spots including caves of various sizes. Sand substrate is appreciated by these fish, but is not necessary. Lombardoi are best kept in water with a PH of 7.5 or higher, at a temperature between 75

mozacs

Common name/s: Kribensis, Purple Cichlid

Scientific name: Pelvicachromis pulcher

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Nigeria, Cameroon, West African, Riverine species

Maximum size: 4"

Care: The Krib is a popular cichlid for beginer breeders. It hails from West Africa, and is found in rivers. The fish are usually found in fresh water, though they have been found in Brackish water. They like soft water, and their Ph should be around nuetral, though they can have a higher Ph up to 8, and one down to 5. They are realitivly peaceful, though they should not be kept with some peaceful fish such as the guppies. A good tank mate would be the black skirt tetra, and other mildly aggressive fish as such. Despite being African cichlids, they should not be kept with Mbuna, or other rift lake vally cichlids. The minimum tank size for a pair is 20 gallons.

Feeding: You should give your kribs a mixed diet, as they are omnivours. They will nibble at live plants, but will also eat live worms. They will also eat live bearer fry, and small ghost shrimp.

Sexing and breeding: There are a few ways to distinguish the genders of the fish. One way is the by the fins. The males usually have a pointed dorsal fin as well as tail fin. The females have "eye" spots on their dorsal fin. They also have a rounded dorsal and tail fin. Males are also bigger than the females. The females will also have a red round stomach. After a while of the male and female being together they should pair up. It works best to have the largest male and the smallest female together to make it happen faster. This is to lessen the aggression of the female, as larger females may injure the smaller male. Once paired up the pair will breed about every few weeks. The female will disaprea for about five days. At this time she will be fanning eggs that she layed. they will be in a cave. the male will be guarding the cave entrance. After the 5 days are up the eggs should hatch. They will be in the wiggler stage for about 3-5 days after. Once the wiggler stage is over the fish will be free swimming, schooling with the parents. At night the parents will pick up the fry in their mouth and return them to the cave that they were born in, unless you renovate the cave. The fry have slow growth after a while.

mozacs

Common name/s: Cobalt, Cobalt Blue.

Scientific name: Metriaclima Callainos

Familyichlidae

Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa

Maximum size: 6"

Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons

Care: A perfect Cichlid for the beginner and the experienced alike, Like any other Malawi mbuna, they need a pH ranging from 7.8 to 8.4, They should be kept in a tank that is densely rocky due to their aggressive disposition. Nooks and caves created by rocks will provide ample hinding places and passageways. A tank 55G 4ft long would be ideal for 2 males with a 2/3 female ratio. I wouldnt advise a smaller tank than 4ft in length as the males can get to 6".

Feeding: This fish is herbivorous and should be fed a diet rich in vegetable matter. Most other Cichlid food as flakes, pellets will be readily excepted.

Sexing and breeding: There is almost no color difference between male and female. A mature male is sometimes a more vibrant blue than the female where the female remains a drab blue. Some females lack egg spots on the anal fin, but this is not the most accurate means of sexing males from females. The egg spots also tend to have a sharper, more defined color on the male. Males can reach up to 6-inches in length, while females will stay slightly smaller.
Breeding this fish is relitavly eay but males can be rather rough on unwilling females and if the correct ratios are not kept or sufficient hiding places are not provided, the females can become beaten and lifeless.

Comments: This lovely fish can be housed with alot of other Mbuna species so it is perfect for a mixed tank. I would advise a ratio of 1 male and 3 females.
There is also an Iceblue form of this fish aswell as the OB variety.
Tank Bred young male

Tank bred female

Tank Bred male

mozacs

Common name/s - Neolamp Brevis

Scientific name - Neolamprologus Brevis

Family - Cichlidae

Origin - Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Maximum size - males till 6 cm, females smaller

Difficulty - Very hardy, readily accept most prepared and live foods. Omnivorous.

Water Parameters - Hard water with a high range pH 7.5 - 8.5 , temperature 24 - 28 degrees

Feeding - Frozen, dried and live foods all readily accepted.

Sexing - Males are usually of a slightly larger and stocky nature. Thier mouths are more up turned than the females. Males tend to dominate female fish.

Breeding - These fish are not difficult to breed. Being shell dwellers it is less likely to have any success without shells available for the fish to live in. Each fish will require its own shell. Ideally shells should be of freshwater origin and around six cm across.

Males will display infront of the females shell usually by shivering at the mouth of the shell. The female will return dancing if she considers him a suitable mate. After a few days of this courtship eggs will be laid. The territory during this period will be ferociously guarded by the male who will not hesitate to take on much larger and aggressive cichlids (if housed in a community tank) When the eggs hatch it is not uncommon not to see any of the juvs for a period of a week as they will seek shelter in / around the shells of the parents.

General Comments - While the pair is quite attached to each other, I was surprised to find that none of my brevis have ever been good parents. I never actually see them breed since they do this in their shell, but I do see periodic mating dances that tend to hint that fry will arrive in a few days or weeks. Once the fry emerge from the shells they hide in the gravel and beneath any shells. The parents do not eat the fry, but I鈥檝e never once seen them defend the fry or try to shepherd them into a shell when danger approaches.
If you plan to sell any of the fry, or even wish to move to a fry tank I recommend replacing their shells with "L" shaped pipe with about a 1" opening. You can cap off one end so that you can pick up the "shell", remove the end and dump the fish out. This has made a huge difference in my tank.

mozacs

Common name/s - Brichardi

Scientific name - Neolamprologus brichardi

Family - Cichlidae

Origin - Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Maximum size - 12cm

Water Parameters - Hard water, pH 7.5 - 8.5, temperature 24 - 28 degrees

Care - These fish are extremely easy to keep, even outside their prefered water parameters (given above). Ideally they should be kept with other Tanganyikan Cichlids in a community tank.

Feeding - Will happily accept frozen, dried and live foods.

Sexing and breeding - Juvenille males and females of similar appearance. Mature males have elongated fin rays on the anal, caudal and tail fins. In healthy specimens there males are more colourful.

These fish are extremely easy to breed, often taking over a community aquarium due to their rapid increase in numbers. Eggs are laid on the underside of caves or in shells and are of a pale blue colour. It is not uncommon for fish to produce another clutch of eggs directly after the first has hatched, particularly if there are young from previous clutches to assist in the protection and rearing of the fry. These fish can successfully rear the fry of their own accord in a community tank with no special treatment from the aquarist

mozacs

Common name/s: Rusty

Scientific name:Iodotropheus Sprengerae

Family:Cichlidae

Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa

Maximum size: 5"

Care: This is a mildly aggressive species from the mbuna family, and a good choice for a less aggressive mbuna aquarium. The minimum recommended tank size for these fish is 30 gallons. The aquarium should be decorated with a number of hiding spots including caves of various sizes. Sand substrate is appreciated by these fish, but is not necessary. Rusty抯 are best kept in water with a PH of 7.5 or higher, at a temperature between 75

mozacs

Common Name: Angelfish

Scientific Name: Pterophyllum scalare

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: South America

Maximum Size: 5-8 Inches in captivity

Care: This fish is generally peaceful, but will get aggresive in spawning. These fish are one of the most popular tropical fish out there. With there beautiful triangle shape and long lace ventrals, no one can resist bringing these guys home. These fish come in many variables including Gold, Albino , and black. This fish are starting to be one of the most popular fish in the world.

Feeding: This fish will be alright with flakes, but they do prefer live or frozen foods. My angels LOVE bloodworms and earthworms.

Sexing: Sexing this fish is impossible, exept when breeding.

Breeding: This fish is a cichlid, and like many of them, once a pair is formed they will be strongly bonded to each other. They will lay eggs on a leaf, mostly Amazons, but they will mostly put them on the corner of the tank. The parents will protect there eggs and fry from the other fish. They are some cases were the parents will even kill fishes 4 times there sizes just to protect their babies.

mozacs

Common name/s: Discus (Blue, Green, Brown, hybrid Discus), Pompadour Fish

Scientific name: Symphysodon discus, Symphysodon aequifasciatus aequifasciatus, Symphysodon aequifasciatus haraldi, Symphysodon discus willischwartzi

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: South America, black water Amazon/tributaries

Maximim size: 8-10"

Care: Moderate, easy when acclimatised and Discus specific basic care is strictly observed. Not forgiving of mistakes with water parameters, therefore not a beginners fish. Prone to bacterial build up in water, and Hole in the Head disease (Hexamatia). Both can be avoided largely through attentive care of the water.

Small fish should be kept in groups (the larger the better) older fish can be kept singly or in pairs, groups in large tanks. Mature fish prefer soft acidic water (wild fish will thrive in pH down to 4.5) while young fish need slightly hard water for proper growth. Most tank bred Discus will accept a pH up to 7.6 after carfeful acclimatisation. At any pH above 7, extra special care to eliminate/prevent ammonia is crucial. Water must be warm, 86F/30C is ideal, with gentle water flow. Provide plenty of cover with bogwood, roots and carefully chosen plants that can tolerate heat.

Tankmates should be non-aggressive, unimposing fish. Avoid very active fish, for first time keepers, species tank is preferred.

Water changes of 50% tank volume per week is recommended, with more frequent, smaller changes being preferred (ie 20% every second day).

Feeding: Frozen foods such as brine shrimp and bloodworm are readily accepted, but do not contain enough protein for vital energy. Most accept quality flake and pellet food, check protein content around 50%. Beef heart or turkey heart are readily accepted but are messy, recommended for bare bottom tanks only. Tetra Prima granules highly recommended. Vareity and balance is the key.

Sexing: Very difficult except at breeding times, males will develop protruding breeding tube which is short and pointed, females breeding tube is longer and thicker, rounded. All other methods of sexing are unreliable.

Breeding: May spawn if conditions are favourable, raising young fish can be difficult. Rows of eggs will be laid on flat surfaces such as vertical bogwood and large leaf plants. Both parents care for the eggs and fry, parents will darken in colour as a mucous is excreted from the skin, the young fish will eat this mucous as a first food. Newly hatched brine shrimp will be taken as they develop.

Comments: Beautiful fish that requires dedication. Not quite as difficult as its reputation, but beginners should make the inevitable mistakes with hardier (and less expensive!) fish before moving on to Discus. Calm and observant demeanour, Discus will look at you as much as you look at them! Some form of tap water filtration method is highly recommended (Reverse Osmosis being ideal) to remove metals that can affect nervous system and other pollutants

mozacs

Common name - Convict Cichlid.

Scientific name - Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum.

Family - Cichlidae.

Origin - Guatemala, Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama.

Max size - 6".

Care - True to its name this is a very aggressive fish which is not ideal for a community tank, the tank should be at least 30 US gallons, with a temperature of 74-79 F. They enjoy plenty of hiding places. All rockwork and decorations
should be well seated, as the they will dig and displace them.

Feeding - Convicts will eat most forms of prepared food aswell as frozen and live foods. Vegtables should also be added to keep them in prime condition.

Sexing - One of the easiest cichlid to determine sex. During the breeding period females will have gold/red spots on her sides and belly. The males normally dark bars will become a metallic silver.

Breeding - Convicts are notoriously easy to breed. Ideally a species tank dedicated to just them will be the ideal situation. Females will lay between 40-100 eggs and it takes about 2-3 days before free-swimming fry are seen. The pair become very aggressive at this time and will not hesitate to attack any other fish which is "too close". Fry can be fed almost any form of "fry" food, as well as crushed flake food and cucumber.Caution - while breeding pairs of convicts are usually good partners, there can be aggression among the pair. A method to seperate the pair if this happens is very adviseable.

mozacs

Common name:Texas Cichlid, Rio Grande Perch.

Scientific name:Herichthys cyanoguttatus.

Family ichlidae

Origin:Texas to northeastern Mexico

Lifespan: 7 years +

Max size:12 inches for Males.Females rarely reach over 10 inches

Sexing:The males are larger and they have a very distinctive bump on their head.

SocialME these fish are highly aggressive. Provide this fish with a large tank and territories & they might just get on with some other cichlids.Ie red devils,GT and Convicts.s

Feeding: Some Texas cichlids (such as the one I owned) will only eat live/frozen foods, such as blood worms,tubifex worms,glass worms etc.However most are omnivores and will take some cichlid pellets and flakes.

Tank Conditionsh 6.5 - 8.0; dH range: 5.0 - 12.0, temp.: 20 - 33掳C. They can tolerate vast changes in temperatures and are very hardy.However they must have regular water changes as IME they can get bacteria/fungal infections easily.

Tank set-up & size:75g for a large adult and at least 30 gallon for sub adults.With a 90 gallon you may have an option to have a tank mate.These cichlids love to dig up gravel and make the tank 'their' home.Provide them with rocks, bog wood, territories and gravel to dig in.

Tank levelow-Mid

Breeding: These cichlids are very easy to spawn however you will need at least a 125 gallon aquarium, (from research) and some dither fish (such as silver dollars).I will explain later on why you will need these extra fish, an alternative is to have a divider.The female is ready to breed at 2-3 inches, and like most cichlids she will clean the surface which she wishes to lay the eggs on (slate, rocks etc) . The pair will also dig a pit (in the gravel/substrate) prior to breeding for the fry to hide.The female will tend and care for the eggs after laying, then the male will guard the perimeter (which is at least a couple of feet!).The male will follow fertilizing the eggs.At this point the male will be getting very boisterous, to divert the aggression from him to the female you must have some dithers, or you can simply put a divider in.However you will not see their natural breeding behavior, and it may even 'depress' the fish.In 3-5 days the eggs will hatch and be deposited into the pit for 5-10 days.The young then become free swimming and will eat organic matter, baby brine, cyclops and crushed flake .When the fry approach an inch in length they should be removed,so they don't get eaten!

Care levelntermediate

Tips:When changing water on a regular basis this fish will 'show off' it's colours.They seem to love fresh tap water.Do weekly water changes & try to vary their diet.They can become a very friendly & rewarding fish, however they may bite when they see a 'worm' in the water . Provide them with hides, caves & tunnels.They need a good place to
establish a territory.

mozacs

Common Name/s: Severum; banded cichlid

Scientific Name: Heros severus

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Amazon, Northern South America

Maximum Size: 8"

Care: Severums like their temperature to be around 73-77癋, their pH to be 6.0-6.5, and their dH to be 4-5. They need a tank with at least 30 gallons. They will eat smaller fish and will possibly attack peaceful fish. Be sure not to put them with aggresive fish. They need a softer substrate with natural decor(plants and rocks), but also need enough room to swim freely.

Feeding: Severums are heavily omnivorus. They are also can be picky. It is best to feed them freeze-dried or live foods daily along with some vegitation and their staple or cichlid food. Some good foods for them are krill, plankton, bloodworms, tubifex worms, and crickets. They also like the frozen herbivore cubes that you can usually find at your lfs. I prefer to feed them pellets instead of flakes because of how they come at it(they hunt it).

Sexing: Differentiating between the male and female is very difficult. Usually the male is has much more color and longer fins, but until breeding occurs there is no guarentee on what their sex is.

Breeding: Severums do not pair off as easily as most fish do. The female can lay as many as 1,000 eggs. The eggs are usually placed on slate or other forms of rocks, but if desperate they will be layed on the aquarium glass. Eggs layed on the aquarium glass usually do not survive. It is best to offer a short, flat, large rock to the breeding pair to lay their eggs on. Both the male and female guard their eggs very closely and will even attack you if you try to stick your hand near them. It is best to let the fry grow up with their parents.

coelacanth

hmmm..bintik putih ke...kalo bintik2 putih...itu white spot deceased...kena rawat cepat..takut berjangkit kat ikan yg lain...kalo lambat rawat mmg gol lah clownfish tu...ni sat gi pegi kedai aquarium tu beli ubat utk rawat white spot...org kedai tu mesti tau punyer...cepattttttt.....

mozacs

Common Name: Oscar
Scientific Name: Astronotus ocellatus
Family: Cichlidae
Origin: South America; Orinoco to Rio Paraguay; Amazon
Max Size: 12 - 14 inches (30 - 35 cm)


Care: Oscars are truly a magnificent fish. Given the best care Oscar's will be your companion for up to and sometimes over ten years! Oscars should be kept in a species tank as they can be quite aggressive, and will kill and /or eat any fish small enough to fit in their mouth. They can be kept with fish of like size, but you should exercise caution when doing this as aggression issues can occur. Possible tank mates include Jack Dempsey, Convicts (one or more of the same sex, as a breeding pair will become VERY aggressive), Tinfoil Barbs, Silver Dollars, Spotted Silver Dollars, Bala Sharks, Common Plecostomus, Clown Loaches, Pictus Catfish, and African Brown Knife. Do understand that some of these possible tank mates are schooling fish or the fish can get quite large so do your research on size and minimum tank requirements before you add them with an Oscar. Oscars require a minimum tank size of 75 U.S. gallons or bigger for ONE Oscar. Remember, bigger is always better. A good filter and regular water changes are required as Oscars are messy fish. They spit out as much food as they eat and they produce a great deal of waste. Oscars can and do sulk for any reason. A simple change in environment can set up a sulking phase. Usually there is no need to worry about this, as it is natural, but it is always a good idea to check things like incorrect water temperature, too much food, new surroundings, poor water conditions, etc. Water temperature between 72-79F, and pH range between 6.0 - 8.0 and dH range between 5.0 - 19.0. Oscars are clumsy fish so you should stay away from sharp decor. They are also destructive so live plants are not advised. Under gravel filters are not a good choice with Oscars as they are diggers.

Feeding: Oscars need a varied and interesting diet to promote good health. Some sort of cichlid pellets (such as Hakari Cichlid Staple) is great as the main part of their diet, but they also need live foods to promote good digestion. Good choices are crickets, insects, worms, and sometimes feeder fish. It is best to raise your own feeders as store bought feeders can introduce disease into you tank. Other good foods for your Oscar are beef heart (although it can be quite messy it is really good for them) turkey heart, shrimp, krill, and other really lean meats. It is good to also have frozen shelled peas on hand. Peas are great for helping with constipation or just keeping the them regular. Oscars have also been known to eat other vegetables such as lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, etc. I also suggest soaking their pellets in some kind of liquid vitamins (like liquid Centrum) from time to time. This keeps them from getting diseases like HITH (Hole In The Head).

Sexing: Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell the sex of an Oscar. Oscars are unlike most other cichlids. The do no show external features that would normally help determine sex. The only certain way is to catch a pair when they are breeding and the breeding tubes are exposed. The female's tube is bigger, and rounded at the end. The male's tube is smaller, and pointed at the end.

Breeding: Oscars will pick one mate and have batch after batch of fry once they get started. They are egg layers and have anywhere from 200 - 2000 eggs at once and do this about every month. They will usually lay their eggs on a large flat rock such as slate. Oscars are very diligent parents, protecting their eggs/fry aggressively. Do not have any other fish in the tank with a breeding pair as they will most likely seriously hurt or kill other fish to protect their young.

How to breed oscars:
Getting Ready: You will need at least three tanks. 1) A 180 U.S. gallon tank to establish your mating pair if you don抰 have them already. 2) A 100 U.S. gallon tank for the parents-to-be. 3) At least a 55 U.S. gallon tank for the fry to grow out in. Breeding Oscars is not for everyone and especially not for people new to the fish keeping hobby. In my opinion they are hard to breed, but when they do spawn they can have anywhere from 200 - 2000 fry at a time and they repeat this process every month or so! You need to have some way to get rid of all these Oscar fry and even as popular as they are this can prove to be a daunting task. Before you take up breeding Oscars, keep in mind that it can be quite hard to sell or find homes for 200 - 2000 fry every month.

Getting the Mating Pair: Chances are that you will not get a mating pair by going in to the pet store and picking out two Oscars. The best way to go about getting a mating pair (although this method is still not guaranteed) is to buy about six (6) juvenile Oscars and keep them in a tank together and let them pair up naturally. As you know Oscars are large, messy fish that can be aggressive so a large tank is necessary for this. (a minimum 180 U.S. gallon as mentioned above) When the Oscars have paired up you can remove the pair to the 100 U.S. gallon parents-to-be tank (also mentioned above). The rest of the Oscars in the tank can be returned, sold or kept if you are up to the task. If you do decide to keep them, remember Oscars require lot of care and attention.

Getting the Pair Ready to Breed: Now that you hopefully have your mating pair you will need to get their home ready for breeding. You need at least a 100 U.S. gallon tank with good filtration and pea sized or smaller gravel or sand as a substrate. You will also need a large flat rock such as slate and a cave or pot. You can decorate with driftwood and such but I don抰 see this as necessary. Keep up with your water parameters (as you always should) and change the water regularly. All you have to do now is watch for the mating ritual signs listed below.

Mating Rituals: Mating rituals include moving the substrate around in the tank, cleaning the slate and rubbing against the rocks or slate, shimmying their bodies and fins against each other, and lip-locking.

Breeding: When you start to see the above mentioned signs of mating it is suggested that you do a rather large water change of about 75% and raise the temperature to the middle 80抯 not to exceeding 85

mozacs

Common Name/s: Clown Pleco

Scientific name: Panaque maccus

Origin: Orinoco Basin (Venezuela), Rio Las Marinas (Venezuela) and Colombian Llanos. Variants of the species have also been found in Amazon Basin of Brazil.

Maximum Size: 5" (8cm)

Care: If you want to see your fish on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis the clown pleco probably is not for you. The Clown Pleco is found in root structures on the banks and river beds of its habitat. Where, due to its coloration, it is difficult to find. The Clown is a wood eater, so bogwood is a must. It is territorial and will stake a claim to areas at the base of its favorite driftwood or a near by cave, but they do prefer to be kept in groups so a tank large enough for them to have their own territories is best. At feeding times the Clown pleco will defend its food and terriotry like mad, chasing away any intruders. Also keep an eye on the nitrate levels in the tank and keep them low. I would suggest a minimum tank size of 25 gallons which can house 2-3 specimens, this will allow each specimen a seperate territory. As they are not quarrelsome they may be kept with most fish species, however, beaware that some individual fish have been known to show aggression towards smaller species.

Feeding: Wood is required and, in addition, vegetables (zucchini, cucumbers, etc.) are needed. Sinking pellets as well as algae wafers should also be fed to this fish. The clown pleco will NOT clean your tank of algae for you so do not get this fish if you want an algae eater.

Sexing and Breeding: Unknown. The sexes are virtually impossible to distinguish.

Comments: The clown pleco has become popular with hobbyists over the last few years, because of low prices and its small size. Unfortunately many people confuse the needs and behavior of this fish with that of many other members of the pleco family. It is a hardy, easy to care for fish. This fish is peaceful, but do NOT buy it as an algae eater