Andinoacara biseriatus
Cichlasoma biseriatus, synonyms Aequidens biseriatus, one of the smallest species of fish in the genus, but their lack of size, if I may say so, is compensated by a very interesting behavior. In nature, these fish live in the basins of the Atrato, San Juan and Baudo rivers flowing in Colombia.
Andinoacara biseriatus differs greatly from all other species of the genus, but is more closely related to Andinoacara stalsbergi (Andinoacara stalsbergi). The body coloration is uniformly dark or with dark longitudinal stripes and spots along the row of scales. There is a lateral spot at the base of the tail plumage and another small spot on the dorsal fin between the tenth and twelfth spines. The dorsal fin is lightly fringed with a dark band, and the pectoral fins are black fringed. There are no obvious external sexual differences in fin length and color intensity. However, during spawning, females become very dark, almost black. The maximum size of males is about 8 cm and females about 12 cm.
These are chunky and pugnacious cichlids, similar in temperament to the Andinoacara stalsbergi. Keep them in a species aquarium of 200 liters of volume alone or in pairs. The older the fish, the more aggressive and territorial it becomes, and will eat any fish that just can fit into their mouth.
As the substrate used gravel of various sizes, at the bottom have numerous flat stones, snags and grottos. Around the perimeter need to plant bushes of stiff-leaved plants.
Water parameters: temperature 24-29° C, hardness dH 1-5°, pH 5,5-6,7. Requires filtration, aeration and a weekly replacement of 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh.
The beaded cichlazoma is an omnivorous fish. Their menu consists of a variety of live and frozen foods such as earthworms, shrimp, mussels, and moths. A plant food supplement in the form of green peas, spinach and lettuce is also necessary. It is not recommended to feed fish products with high protein content, such as beef heart and other red meat. The food is given 1-2 times a day.
REPRODUCTION
Bead Andinoacara biseriatus are classic cichlids that spawn in a shelter or on the surface of a flat rock.
During spawning, the female hatches 120-150 eggs. Both parents take care of the clutch and then the fry. At a temperature of 27° C larvae hatch in about two days after spawning, and free-floating fry begin to swim in seven days. Producers protect their offspring for quite a long time.
Life expectancy of Andinoacara biseriatus in aquarium conditions is 5-6 years.
