Amatitlania siquia
The Honduran red-spotted cichlid or Amatitlania siquia is naturally found in water bodies in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This fish is relatively new to aquarists.
The body colour of Amatitlania siquia can be blue or reddish, with dark transverse stripes. The belly of the fish has a yellow spot. A hump grows at the back of the head in mature males. There is a spot at the root of the tail plumage, part of which is placed on the caudal fin. The abdomen of females is more brightly coloured than that of males. Females are particularly beautiful during the spawning season, when their coloration becomes saturated. Males reach a size of 8 cm, while females are slightly smaller.
The Amatitlania siquia poses few problems for the aquarist. In general, care of these fish should be exactly the same as for other cichlid species. The fish form strong pairs and remain loyal to each other throughout their lives.
Various shelters in the form of ceramic pots, placed on their sides, large rocks should be placed at the bottom of the aquarium. If the aquarium is assumed maintenance of several pairs of fish, in order to reduce the likelihood of conflicts need to delimit the territory of the aquarium stones and provide each pair with their own shelter, otherwise between pairs will begin real territorial wars.
Water parameters: temperature 20-26° C, hardness 8-20°, pH 6.5-7.5. Requires filtration, aeration and a weekly change of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh.
Amatitlania siquia omnivorous and will eat almost any food she is given. The fish are given earthworms, shrimp and mussel meat, chum. The fish are fed once a day.
Reproduction
Amatitlania siquia are fairly easy to reproduce. A sign that the female is ready to spawn is her rounded abdomen and brighter coloration.
During spawning, Amatitlania siquia become intolerant of any fish and fearlessly defend their nest. If the fish are bred in a communal tank, care should be taken to ensure that it is large enough so that the other fish in case of danger can hide. The most suitable variant would be to breed fish in an aquarium of 80 liters, which should be placed a pair of fish.
The female lays eggs on the inner walls of the cave. During spawning and while taking care of the offspring, the female takes on a grey colour. Depending on her age and physical condition, a female hatches from 150 to 500 eggs. The eggs incubate for 4 days, and 10 days after spawning the hatched fry begin to swim and feed. Producers care for and protect their young for 2-3 months.
The fry are fed with artemia and specialized dry food designed for cichlid fry 3-4 times a day. Under suitable conditions and a balanced diet, fry grow quickly and, when they reach 3 months of age, take on an orange coloration with dark vertical stripes.
The life span of the Amatitlania siquia under aquarium conditions is 5-7 years.
