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these are two young male and female oscars playing they do this by "jawlocking" grabbing each other by jaw and pulling.
When breeding starts, if they have young any other fish in the tank will probarly get killed. oscars should be kept with other big fish such as arawanas
the bristle nose catfish is one of my most favourite plecs. they are not aggresive and can go with most community fish. they are one of the best algae eaters. the male bristle noses have spikes on their noses like the one shown. the female ones have no spikes.
POLYPTERUS SENEGALUS
Overview:
An ancient fish family, they have been around since the Mesozoic era. They are a very hardy fish and can become quite tame in a home aquarium.
Quick stats:
size: up to 12 inches
tank: 48 inches
strata: bottom
pH: 6 to 7.5
Hardness: soft to hard
temperature: 77°F to 89°F
Distribution:
Central Africa, Lake Albert, Rudolph and Chad also found in Gambia, Niger and Senegal.
General Body Form:
Long and slender in form, they are noted for a bunch of primitive features. Their scales are hard and shiny and are different from other fish by their rhomboid shape. The Dorsal fin is really made up of a bunch of smaller fins, kind of looking like saw edged teeth. This fin also gives them one of the common names (Sailfins) that we know them by. Unlike the more modern fish the Bichirs do not have a swim bladder but have developed an air breathing organ, which acts similar to a lung and allows them to gulp at the surface for air. This organ also allows them to live in very Oxygen poor water conditions. Another interesting feature of the fish is like Amphibians (Salamanders and Newts) The young must go through a larval stage in which they have external gills. These will be absorbed as the fish matures.
Coloration:
Not an overly striking fish, The base color is Silver Gray to Yellow Brown. The underside is somewhat White and the fins are a pale Yellow. What the Bichirs lack in color they make up with their personality.
Maintenance:
We are starting to see more and more of these fish imported and they tend to do well in aquaria. They are a bottom dweller and do most of the food foraging at night. They are Carnivorous, but this should be no problem as they will thrive on earthworms, tubifex worms and fish flesh cut into strips. In nature they would hunt for insects and other invertebrates. The tank should be large and not overly bright. You must provide plenty of hiding places either as rockwork or driftwood. Make sure if your keeping more than one that each fish has its own place to hide. You are likely not to see them much during the day but at feeding time they will come out and forage. They have a highly developed sense of smell and will know as soon as food is added to the tank. They can be territorial to each other, but if they have their own space this will be minimized. They can be kept with other medium to large sized non aggressive fish. They have a reputation as being great escape artists and can move on land for short lengths, so take proper precautions with your tank cover.
Biotope:
Vegetation ladden, marshy waters in Central and West Africa.
Common Name(s): Kribensis, Niger Cichlid, Purple Cichlid
Origin: Nigeria
Water Conditions: Ph: 6.5 to 7.5; Temp: 75 - 81°F (24 - 27°C) Hardness: Soft to Hard Water
Temperament: Territorial. Active & quite aggressive at breeding time. Can be peaceful when not breeding.
Adult Size: 3-4 inches.
Water Region: Prefers the Bottom & Middle regions of the aquarium.
Feeding: Omnivorous. Kribensis will readily accept all types of live & prepared foods. Can be fed flakes, spirulina, spinach, brine shrimp, freeze-dried foods, mosquito larvae etc. Kribensis should be given a varied assortment of foods. They relish live foods.
Sexual Differences: Difficult to distinguished in juveniles. Males have a pointed tail fin (caudal fin), while a female's is more rounded. Males also have a pointed dorsal fin (the fin on its back) with colour extending to the tip. It is not unusual to see black spots of the males tail fin. Females usually have a rounded dorsal fin without colour extending to the tip. Females are smaller, with more rounded bodies. Females are also more colourful with brighter red/purple bellies than the males.
Male
These two below have formed a pair
The female is above the male
Breeding: Type: Egglayer. Difficulty: Very Easy.
Kribensis (Kribs) are pair forming cichlids. Once a pair has been established, they will breed readily. All they need is a cave-like structure to breed in. Kribs are hidden brooders and will not breed out in the open like some larger cichlids. Overturn plant pots, driftwood, rock structures, coconut shells and even PVC pipe make good hiding places for breeding. When using dry coconut shells (or half shells), clean it thoroughly and make a small entry hole, about 1 ½ to 2 inches, for the fish to enter. When creating a stacked rock structure, make certain that it is sturdy and will not collapse on your fish. You can use aquarium silicon to glue them together. The water's pH does seem to play a critical role when breeding. An alkaline pH seems to produce predominately male offspring, while an acid pH produces predominately females. Neutral water produces a more balanced sex ratio.
The female is usually first to initiate courtship. She will pair off with the strongest available male in the group. The female will show off her bright red belly to the male and often curl and vibrate her body in front of him. By swimming upside-down, the female will deposit from between 50 to 300 eggs on the inner roof of the nest (though this is not always the case). Kribensis are good parents. The female guards the eggs and young while the male defends the territory. They become extremely aggressive at this time and will even attack fish larger than themselves. If you notice that your other fish are restricted to a corner in the tank, that's a good sign that your Kribensis are spawning. It is important to have other fish in the tank for the parents to chase (know as dither fish or target fish), otherwise the Kribs may take out their aggression on each other. Good dither fish are fast swimmers such barbs and tetras. Rosy Barbs make good dither fish since they are usually too fast for the Kribs to catch.
The eggs hatch between 3 to 8 days. The parent may move the fry to different locations by caring them in their mouths. The fry are free swimming in about 5 to 10 days. Once fry are free swimming, they can be fed finely crush flakes, and newly hatch brine shrimp. If the tank is mature, there should be enough organic matter for the fry to eat. The parents also assist in feeding the young by spitting food to the fry. The parents will gather the fry into a school and lead them on excursions around the tank. Sometimes one parent may want to take sole care of the fry and will attack the other parent to keep it away. If this happens you should separate one of them before they kill or injure each other. If possible, do not remove the fry from the tank until the parents are ready to breed again. Removing the fry too early may result in domestic violence if the male is ready for some loving and the female is not.
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons (24 inches long) for a single breeding pair
Tankmates: Mix with other dwarf cichlids or similarly sized fish. Barbs and tetras are good tankmates. Avoid slow moving fish such as Angelfish and Gouramis. Guppies are a delicacy. Kribensis may also nip at fish with long fins. If the tank is small, avoid tank mates that are bottom dwellers that may compete for space and territory.
Special Requirements: Should be kept in a well-planted tank with lots of hiding places. Like many other cichlids, Kribensis may remain in hiding if there aren't other braver fish swimming out in the open. Therefore keep them with some other active fish that always swim in the open. Kribensis are river fish, so the water must be kept clean.
Provide lots of hiding places
Comments: The Kribensis is a very hardy fish and is not very demanding on water parameters. They can survive in soft or hard water, and fresh and even slightly brackish (salty) water. They are sometimes recommended for first time cichlid owners. They will occasional nip at plants and can be offered vegetable matter such as spinach (soften the spinach in warm water). Kribensis are a joy to watch. They can change colour in an instant, especially when you feed them something they like. The way they swim is also quite fascinating. They are fast swimmers and can stop in a snap, swim backwards and even sideways. When they fight (or face off) they will sometimes angle they bodies downwards, flare there fins to look bigger, and drift towards there opponent. Although they are small, remember that they can be quite aggressive, so choose their tank mates with care. Kribensis have an approximate lifespan of 5 years.
The male on the left flares his fins
when another male approaches
