A hybridization project of two Amatitlania species.
Male: Amatitlania nigrofasciata (obtained from a local fish store for less than $10)
Female: Amatitlania nanolutea (obtained from Tangled Up in Cichlids for $25, plus boxing charges of $6, and shipping of $83, pending arrival)
Things were going well, the pair was doing the dance and all, but unfortunately I was away for a week and the return pump was clogged, and the fish were not doing well. So they had to be moved to the rubbish-bin aquarium by my family.
On that note, I definitely would not recommend the Fiji aquariums. Their products are pretty low quality. From lids to glass to the black sticker used to cover the back sump, and then yeah even their choice of return pumps.
Anyways for now this project is on indefinite hold as the pair of cichlids are now with the remainder of my fish, and likely they will stay there rather than be transferred back to this tank, which I will re-convert back to a marine aquarium.
The nanolutea is remaining mainly in the corner of the tank right now, hiding amongst the hornwort. Basically not having fun at all. It really is quite a bit smaller than the convict, so no surprise there. Unfortunate.
The convict is not really chasing her or anything, so that's at least good. Hopefully the nanolutea will get more used to the aquarium over time.
This morning the nanolutea arrived, so I moved the african cichlids and the clown loach over to the other aquarium I have set up.
Turned the lights off and introduced the nanolutea. Turned the lights on later to have the two fish acquainted with each other.
So far the convict cichlid is being pretty aggressive, chasing the nanolutea around, but not causing damage. A lot of displays so far. Let’s see how it goes.
The nanolutea is smaller than I thought.
It was against the glass so I could measure it. Was just under 7cm total length, so about middle of the range it was listed at (2.5-3 inches). I am just so used to using standard length in Australia, so fish here are always smaller than I imagine.
The nanolutea is still getting used to its now life. Not having fun being chased around, hiding quite a bit, but hopefully this will change over time.
Currently I already have a ten gallon aquarium set up, with the convict cichlid, and four african cichlids, plus a clown loach. They are getting along well, but are of course outgrowing the aquarium. The convict cichlid in particular has grown pretty large and dominates the aquarium, so likely sooner or later will try to kill the african cichlids.
The ten gallon is planted with hornwort, and has a pothos growing out of the back sump. Feeding is on a timer that drops food four times a day. Feeding is considered heavy.
The nanolutea has been ordered from Tangled Up in Cichlids (TUIC) and is on the way. Once the nanolutea arrives, the other fish will be transferred to a different aquarium.