Issue # 3
Focus on Archocentrus Keeping & Spawning
Archocentrus centrarchus
Costa Rica Biotope Plus much more 1
Hello and welcome to the new printed edition of issue # 3 This edition we will focus on the genus Archocentrus. Three great little cichlids that are ideal for small to medium sized aquariums. Sadly , Archocentrus spinosissimus are extremely rare, not only in aquarium circles, but also in their natural habitat. I wanted to highlight this smaller group of centrals, because I believe this group of fish have been rather overlooked in the hobby, which is a shame as all three species share and display interesting spawning and fry rearing characteristics. Sam Borstein has kindly wrote an interesting article focusing on the very elusive Archocentrus spinosissimus. This particular fish are very hard to come by in the hobby now and recent attempts to collect and study the fish in the wild have failed. Sam talks about the taxonomy and Phylogeny of the species as well as spawning and highlighting the unique fry care in beautiful close up photography. For my biotope feature I wanted to share my Costa Rica Riverine aquarium that I’ve been working on, as well as listing and illustrating the wonderful cichlids that live sympatric with each other. This is a completely new concept for me which has worked out very nicely and I’m enjoying immensely. Hope you all enjoy issue 3. Please rate and subscribe, I would also be very grateful for any feedback suggestions and articles you would like to see featured, perhaps write one yourself?
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Contents 4
Archocentrus centrarchus Observations through the aquarium
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Archocentrus spinosissimus Sam Borstein introduces a rare gem from Lake Izabal Basin Guatemala
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Uncomfortable Reality! Members of the ACACED highlight river pollution problems in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Riverine A guide on creating a Tomocichla tuba riverine biotope
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F & Q on Wood The Central Scene answers some common questions
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Cichlid Profiles Archocentrus multispinosus GĂźnther, 1866
The views expressed in Central Scene are those of the individual(s) concerned and not necessarily those of the Editor. While every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, the editor and its contributors disclaim all liability for any loss, injury or other problem arising from the use of information contained herein. The Central Scene Š copyright of Lee Nuttall 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any information retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without the express permission of the copyright holders. 3
Observations through the aquarium
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Archocentrus centrarchus protecting spawn from Vieja maculicauda
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dark vertical bars. In fact, the white appears more as a grey colour, but the dramatic change gives that first impression of white. The male seemed to be doing his share of care, only until the other female came into view he would become distracted and try his luck pair bonding. The male would always come back and resume defending duties. The pair had deposited a few hundred eggs, but over the couple of days, quite a large portion of eggs were becoming infertile. This initially worried me, but I observed the female doing a role reversal and picking out the fertile eggs instead. Usually cichlids will pick out the infertile eggs first; this ensures the fertile eggs don’t become infected by fungus. The eggs hatch and become fee swimming fry around day 6/7 where the pair will defend ferociously if needed, even the large V. maculicauda pair were easily dealt with. Of interest, the Archocentrus complex appears to share one characteristic in fry care that at some stage they hang their fry in bunches off roots or plants. In the aquarium, plants and roots will be substituted with rocks, wood, even the aquarium dÊcor like filter pipes and heaters. I must admit I did not personally witness this behaviour; perhaps I just missed observing it? 6
Once pairs form and spawn, there is no stopping them. The male fish swapped between the two females, which works in favour to keep aggression levels between the pair at a minimum. In the confines of the aquarium, pair bonding always has the risk of breaking down, as the male fish becomes impatient with the female because he is ready to spawn, while the female is still tending to fry. 7
Sam Borstein Introduces a rare little gem from Lake Izabal Basin, Guatemala In the brief period I’ve kept Archocentrus spinosissimus it has become one of my favourite fish. One of the perks of being a lab member of the Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes Lab at California State University, Sacramento is that we have many interesting heroine cichlid species that are not easily obtainable in the hobby. I was ecstatic to see this species, which I had only previously seen in books, grace our fishroom. Hopefully, my experiences keeping this fish will inspire a little more admiration for this underappreciated species which is not only pretty, but also displays some truly unique behaviour. Upon first glance it is quite easy to understand how Archocentrus spinosissimus gets its common
names. Archocentrus spinosissimus is often referred to as the spiny cichlid and the pepper cichlid. Spiny cichlid is an apt nickname as the specific epithet literally translates to “most spiny” and the fish has numerous dorsal fin and anal fin spines. Sometimes hobbyists shorten the species name and call the fish “Spinos”. I’ve more commonly heard this species referred to as the pepper cichlid in aquarium circles in the United States. This nickname is also quite understandable. While some may say that Archocentrus spinosissimus lacks the exuberant colours that many of the other cichlids have, it has a subtle beauty in its extremely high contrasting coloration pattern.
Male Archocentrus spinosissimus have beautiful long finnage and may also develop a nuchal hump
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Archocentrus spinosissimus has a stunning pearly white base coloration with numerous black spots adorning the body, leading to the name Peppered Cichlid. This species also has magnificent trailers to its dorsal and anal fins that flow and are adorned with iridescent blue and green highlights.
(Archocentrus) spinosissimus by elevating Archocentrus to full generic status and since then the fish has been classified as Archocentrus spinosissimus. Archocentrus spinosissimus has been hypothesized to have close affinities with Archocentrus centrarchus and Archocentrus multispinosus. Archocentrus multispinosus was formerly classified as Herotilapia multispinosa with the key difference being in tooth structure, with Archocentrus centrarchus and Archocentrus spinosissimus having unicuspid or bicuspid teeth and Archocentrus multispinosus having tricuspid teeth. Because tooth structure is known to be very plastic in cichlids and not a reliable character, Schmitter-Soto (2007) suggested synonymizing Herotilapia with Archocentrus, but this move has been in dispute. Molecular phylogenies suggest that this group may not be monophyletic as Archocentrus multispinosa groups closely with Tomocichla whereas Archocentrus centrarchus is nestled within the Amphilophus (Hulsey et al., 2004; Conchiero Perez et al., 2006, Smith et al., 2008; Lopez-Fernandez et al., 2010). Unfortunately, the phylogenetic position of Archocentrus spinosissimus is understudied and very few studies have Archocentrus spinosissimus samples.
Archocentrus spinosissimus grows to a very manageable size of around 10-12 cm for the average male with females growing smaller, typically closer to 8 cm in length. The largest individual I’ve seen of this species reached 15 cm. This species is not highly sexually dimorphic. Other than differences in size, Archocentrus spinosissimus males generally have longer extensions to their dorsal and anal fins as well as a rounder cranial profile. The differences in the genital papilla when spawning are noticeable between the sexes with females having a rounder, blunter papilla. Distribution Archocentrus spinosissimus was described by Vaillant & Pellegrin in 1902 as Heros (Cichlasoma) spinosissimus. The type specimen of Archocentrus spinosissimus was collected in the Rio Polochic in Guatemala, a tributary of Lake Izabal Basin to which Archocentrus spinosissimus is endemic. This species inhabits slow waters in the drainage that have a high amount of aquatic vegetation. This fish does not seem to be common throughout its range and recent attempts to collect this species have failed (Hanneman & Middleton, pers. comm.)
Aquarium Care Archocentrus spinosissimus poses some interesting requirements. In my opinion, this species is the shiest and least aggressive heroine cichlid. The only times I have observed aggression has been when the fish have been spawning. As such, I would recommend maintaining this species in a species only set up. While a tank of 150 litres will suffice, a tank of around 208-284 litres is recommended. While pairs could probably be housed in an 80 litre aquarium, I’ve found keeping a group of around 8 in a larger tank seems to be the best method. Archocentrus spinosissimus is sensitive to poor water quality and frequent water changes are a must, with 50% water changes a week recommended.
Taxonomic History and Phylogeny As stated above, Archocentrus spinosissimus was described by Vaillant & Pellegrin in 1902 as Heros (Cichlasoma) spinosissimus. In 1904 Pellegrin described a variant of Cichlasoma (Archocentrus) spinosissimus, also from the Rio Polochic, as Cichlasoma spinosissimus var. immaculata. Cichlasoma spinosissimus var. immaculate has since been proven to be a synonym of Cryptoheros spilurus which is also endemic to the Lake Izabal Basin (Kullander 2003; Schmitter-Soto, 2007). In 1930 Jordan et al. created a new combination for Cichlasoma 9
Derick Herrera Solano & Jennifer Contreras Picado Costa Rica is home to 250 species of freshwater fish (Angulo et al, 2013), representing 0.9% of the fish species in the world. This wealth of fish fauna is explained by the confluence of several factors that are summarized in fish fauna division developed by Bussing (2002) where the Mesoamerican region is divided into four provinces fish (Fig. 1), each of them is characterized by groups species with similar geographic distributions and endemism in species and genera is also typical of each province. In Costa Rica match three of the four fish counties: Nicaraguan Chiapas, San Juan and Isthmian.
However, it has not been properly recognized, this wealth fish fauna, valued in recent years, which has led today to a deterioration of freshwater ecosystems alarming Costa Ricans and unnoticed by most, worsening the situation, because that ignorance of reality is the major cause of the problem. According to Bussing (2002), the worst damage to aquatic ecosystems is difficult to perceive in a photograph. In recent years, there has been a significant decrease in number of species and
numbers of individuals of fish in certain rivers. In the Central Valley, the main damage done is sewage, waste coffee, and industrial chemicals. In the other sectors of the country, the use of agrochemicals to irrigate crops of bananas, cocoa, cotton, rice and pineapple periodically remove the fish fauna of many rivers. The mills, dairies, sawmill and other industries, also drop their waste into rivers, destroying fish stocks.
Another form of pollution are sediments of land adjacent to the rivers; erosion is a natural phenomenon and the fish are adapted to natural periods of high turbidity during floods of the rainy season, but with the clearing of forests and ploughing the land for agriculture, the sediment carried by the rivers is much larger and can affect some species, reducing 10
diversity of habitats necessary for fish fauna rich in species and biomass. Another effect of deforestation is the obvious scarcity of water, mainly in the Pacific Slope (Bussing, 2002). When these variables meet, pollution and deforestation, the result is known all over the planet: Global warming. Specifically, in a tropical country like Costa Rica that can be felt in one direction, rainfall shortages. According to National Meteorological Institute is confirmed the decrease in rainfall pattern of 2012, up 40%, which caused a regime change in rainfall in 2013, where brief rain occurred but dangerous as they are capable of causing disasters especially in the centre of the country, this caused by urban disorder, which never respected or institutions with competence did not make them respect, protection areas on both sides, on the banks of rivers , creeks or streams, this according to Article 33 of the Forestry Law, No. 7575, causing the channels remain very low and floods is provided (Astorga, 2013). To this must be added the problem still persists, the mismanagement of solid waste, which reached a good amount of water bodies, as in the Tarcoles River, where most of the country population and major productive and economic activities is concentrated. Throughout the basin, 2.33 million people live which equates to about 55% of the national population; well are located 80% of industries including since five years to high-tech industries, beverage, chemical, agro-industrial, metallurgy; and the main trade and increased service delivery in the country. For this reason this basin is considered the most polluted in the country and one of the highest polluted in Central America. (Espinoza et al, 2004). Ironically one of the solutions proposed by the Government to this problem was the creation of the environmental tax for dumping (Decree No. 31176), under the principle that "the polluter pays" and those who generate pollution are charged for damages that the discharge of wastes causes which affect third parties and
ecosystems. The Regulatory Commission of this fee is agreed in the general payment of the pollution load, but giving an incentive to those who meet the maximum concentrations defined by the Rules of Dumping and an additional penalty for not meeting (Astorga, 2013). Aware of this uncomfortable reality, a group of aquarists, biologists and conservationists have come together to found the Costa Rican Association of Aquarists for Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems (ACACED, for its acronym in Spanish), which has as its mission, to conserve freshwater ecosystems of Costa Rica, by the responsible aquarium, environmental education, research and interference in management policies, involving different organs, science, and the general public (ACACED, 2014). In addition, to deal with the problems that affect aquatic environments, the Association develops activities such as, studies and inventories of freshwater ecosystems; environmental attacks denounces and situations of ecological risk that violate current conservation laws; promoting the creation of new laws and projects as biological closures, fish passes and exhaust dampers background in Hydroelectric Dams. Additionally, the Association works in citizen awareness on the proper use of freshwater ecosystems and resources through environmental education activities such as talks, courses, debates, environmental fairs, tours and exhibitions oriented to the general public and specific groups; disseminating the 11
Biotopes
A look at creating a riverine biotope based around Tomocichla tuba
Creating a biotope display aquarium is a great way of learning about the fish we keep. It gives the opportunity to find out what species live sympatric together, as well as the underwater environment including how rock formations look and aquatic fauna that maybe present in each waterway. Costa Rica is an interesting country to research and create a cichlid biotope from as the endemic species available is quite diverse. There is around 9 genera of cichlid that inhabit the many river systems of Costa Rica, giving us plenty of scope when choosing species and combining different cichlid species. Costa Rica boarders Nicaragua in the North and Panama to the South, River systems both have Atlantic (Caribbean sea) and pacific side drainages. The San Juan River is Atlantic side, one of the largest and is shared by both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I have been planning a Riverine setup for some
time, but was unable to source a suitable cichlid to base the aquarium on. I was very fortunate to grab a small group of Tomocichla tuba, these are very hard to find in the hobby and were lucky that my good friend Ross Evans had grown a large group on at the unit. Tomocichla tuba range extends into eastern Nicaragua, through Eastern Costa Rica to the very tip of Northern Panama. They are a riverine species and found in waters with high oxygen content and strong current. The underwater environment is mainly rocks/ boulders with a sand –gravel River bed. I would regard T.tuba as a fish for the more advanced aquarium keeper. They need quite a strong flow in the aquarium, failing that provide water with high oxygen content by using a spraybar to break the surface of the water. My filtration system is very basic, perhaps crude as the background in the aquarium conceals a basic biological filtration system made up from sheets of filter 12
sponge. Two powerful pumps draw the water through; this gives me a maximum flow rate of 8000 LPH, providing a strong enough current that Riverine cichlids will appreciate. I quickly learned that Tomocichla tuba can be very quarrelsome amongst themselves, so therefore needed a distraction. Keeping to the biotope theme I decided to add a group of Neetroplus nematopus (neets). Neets are a feisty little cichlid that inhabits lakes Rivers and Streams of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. They live sympatric with T. tuba in fast flowing Rivers and Streams so can make ideal tank mates. They can be quite rough with conspecifics and other fish, so make sure you have a large enough tank and plenty of rock work!
the formations in an aesthetically pleasing way, but by following planted aquascaping designs, we can apply the same basics principles. When creating rockscapes I prefer to use the golden rule ratio or mound shaped composition. Also when creating rock formations, we need to take the inhabitants into consideration by providing holes and crevices for territory, spawning and escape routes. Tomocichla tuba need spacious tanks, so I have also provided plenty of open swimming space. If keeping T. tuba, I wouldn’t use anything smaller than 200cm in length. This aquascape doesn't follow any particular aquascaping rule, only to try and represent a rocky inspired river tank. The aquascape is finished off with optionally adding beech tree branches penetrating through the surface of the water.
Aquascaping As I mentioned earlier, the T. tuba biotope is mainly a rocky affair. Rock aquascapes can be quite difficult to represent, as you may need to place the 13
Astatheros altifrons
Astatheros rostratus
Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus
Cryptoheros septemfasciatus
Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
Neetroplus nematopus
Tomocichla tuba
Astyanax aeneus
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Astatheros altifrons (Kner & Steindachner, 1863)
Tomocichla tuba (Meek, 1912)
Distribution: Central America: Pacific slope of Costa Rica (Térraba River) to Panama (Chiriqui River). Countries: Costa Rica, Panama
Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope, from the Escondido River (Nicaragua) to the Cricamola River (Panama).
Astatheros rostratus (Gill & Bransford, 1877)
Countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama
Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope of Nicaragua and Costa Rica (San Juan River drainage including Lakes Managua, Nicaragua and Masaya, to Matinaon River).
Astyanax aeneus (Günther, 1860) Distribution: Lower Rio Papaloapan and Colima, Mexico south to some places in Central America, extending to the Rio Cocle del Norte and Rio Tabasara in Panama
Countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus (Günther, 1867)
References:
Distribution: Central America: Pacific slope, from Guatemala to Costa Rica (Tárcoles River); Atlantic slope from Aguan River (Honduras) to Guarumo River (Panama).
http://www.fishbase.org
Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
Kullander, S.O. 2003. Cichlidae. Pp. 605-654 In Reis, R.E., S.O. Kullander & C.J. Ferraris, Jr., (eds.),Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America.
Cryptoheros septemfasciatus (Regan, 1908)
Photo credits:
Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope of Costa Rica, from the San Juan River drainage to the Banano River.
Astatheros rostratus Robin Hansson Cryptoheros septemfasciatus Peter Andersson Astyanax aeneus Wisse Sluijters
Countries: Costa Rica Hypsophrys nicaraguensis (Günther, 1864) Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope, from the San Juan drainage, including Lake Nicaragua, in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, to the Matina River drainage in Costa Rica.
Other Costa Rica species considered that are sometimes available, but not illustrated. Note, that some of these species may not be biotope correct with T. tuba habitat, but can still be used to create your own Costa Rica inspired biotope.
Countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua Neetroplus nematopus Günther, 1867 Distribution: Central America: Atlantic slope of Nicaragua and western Costa Rica, in the San Juan River drainage, including Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua.
Astatheros alfari, Astatheros longimanus, Astatheros rytisima, Archocentrus centrarchus, Archocentrus multispinosus, Cryptoheros sajica, Tomocichla seiboldii, Parachromis dovii, Parachromis loisellei, Parachromis managuensis, Vieja maculicauda.
Countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua
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Does the thought of choosing and collecting wood fill you with confusion? The Central Scene answers some common questions. Q Is wood found in Central American biotopes?
You can use many different types of wood either bought from a local fish shop or collected yourself. Bog wood can be available in many different sizes, but can be become very expensive and limited in shape and size The pros with aquarium bought wood are you can be sure that it will be safe to add to the aquarium and will generally sink straight away. There are many different varieties available like common Malaysian Bog Wood, Sumatra Wood, Redmoor Root Wood, which can be quite buoyant when first added to the
Yes, wood plays a large part when setting up a biotope for Central American cichlids, it is found in many different water ways. The wood can be found in piles along the banks or from overhanging branches from trees. Wood can range in size from small branches to actual full sized sunken trunks. Wood is also a good decoration for creating territory and spawning sites for cichlid pairs. Q So what kind of wood do you suggest?
Many Central American river systems will have an abundance of wood Photo Š Dieter Duehring
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Rocks and wood, make a perfect combination!
aquarium. Horn wood is quite dense and heavy and will easily sink. Although aquarium safe, it is still good practice to prepare the wood prior to adding by cleaning and soaking for a couple of days. The other type of wood is stuff you can collect yourself. This can work out very cheap as collecting your own will be free. Shape and size won’t be limited either, however, be sure it will be safe to use. Q What safe wood can I collect? There are many different types of wood you can collect yourself depending where you live and what’s available. In the UK, the most commonly used wood to collect are either beech or oak tree wood. These two types of wood have been used and proved to be aquarium safe by many hobbyist. Other wood that are reported to be safe are from fruit trees like apple, pear and damson. There maybe others, but I don’t think it would be responsible to list them here as I can’t be sure they are 100% aquarium safe. I would advise to stay clear from conifer trees unless preserved in bogs, as they can contain toxins that could leach into the water making it milky! Many hobbyist from Germany and the Netherlands use wood called ''Wortelhout’’ (Wood Root).
UNSAFE WOOD! Not all wood is suitable for aquarium use. Evergreen and Hawthorn can harbour lethal thorns. Pine wood in unpreserved form, Willow and Yew may contain lethal toxins?
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Archocentrus multispinosus Günther, 1866
Etymology: Archocentrus- Greek, archo = anus + Greek, kentron = stinger; referring to the spine on the anal fin multispinosus means "many spines" Common name: Rainbow cichlid Size: Regarded as a dwarf species of the Central American world A. multispinosus grow to around 5” /12 cm Males, 4” / 10cm Females. Some aquarium specimens can grow a little larger. Distribution: Archocentrus. multispinosus are found in Central America on the Atlantic slope, from Patuca River (Honduras), to the Matina River (Costa Rica). Pacific slope regions are from the Guasaule River (Nicaragua) to the Tempisque / Bebedero Rivers (Costa Rica). The type locality specimen is from the lake of Managua.
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Keeping & Spawning the Mexican Tuxedo
Herichthys bartoni
Cichlid Profiles, Rocio octofasciata
Focus on Vieja maculicauda
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