Photos taken at Wharf Aquatics
© Sean Evans
|
| Common name: | Dwarf Flag Cichlid, Flag Acara |
| Scientific name: | Laetacara curviceps |
| Synonyms: | Aequidens curviceps, Acara curviceps |
| Size: | Up to 3" (7.5cm), female smaller. |
| Origin: | South America, Amazon River. |
| Tank setup: | Planted tank with plenty of cover, including small rocks and bogwood. |
| Compatibility: | Generally peaceful, but will become territorial when spawning. Do not mix with more aggressive cichlids. |
| Temperature: | 24-28oC (75-82oF) |
| Water chemistry: | Thrives in a reasonable range, from soft to medium hard and acidic to slightly alkaline. |
| Feeding: | Omnivorous, feed a varied diet of dry foods and frozen/live foods. |
| Sexing: | Males are larger with longer ventral fins, though this is not obvious in younger fish. |
| Breeding: | Substrate spawner. Provide flat stones at various angles with some plant/wood cover.
Eggs hatch in about 2 days. Fry are normally free-swimming in about 8-10 days, and are tended by both parents. |
| Comments: |
These small cichlids make excellent aquarium fish for a planted tank with peaceful community fishes. The Laetacara are often known as smiling acaras due to
curved stripes near the mouth region that look like a smile. The genus name Laetacara is derived from the Latin for happy.
|
