The Happy Acara

A Happy Aquarium

Laetacara curviceps is a peaceful little cichlid which can be kept in a community aquarium without mayhem resulting; but it will, of course, defend its young against any other fishes that come to near, so if it is to be kept in a community situation the tank should be large enough to permit tankmates to stay well clear. 36" (90cm) should be regarded as minimum tank length for this type of maintenance, and 48" (120 cm) better.

Alternatively a single pair can be housed in a tank of their own, which should be at least 24" (60 cm) in length. In this amount of space it would be unwise to expect them to tolerate other fishes when breeding. Smaller tanks are not suitable - very few cichlids, even dwarfs, can be kept in a very small aquarium without the risk of dangerous friction occurring between the pair.

The aquarium should be well-planted, bogwood and the cichlid-usual flowerpot caves can also form part of the decor. Lighting should be appropriate to promote plant growth - the plants will offer the cichlids shade from any glare, but obviously this requires that the plants be growing well before the fishes are introduced.

The filtration should be biologically efficient, but with a fairly slow through-put as this species does not appreciate strong currents. Air-powered filtration is ideal for a 24" set-up. Water quality parameters should be zero ammonia and nitrite, nitrate < 25 ppm, ideally < 15 ppm. It is true that this species will tolerate higher nitrate levels, but that does not mean this is good for the fishes in the long term, especially as nitrate levels in their natural habitat are generally barely measurable - if at all. There is some evidence that high nitrate levels are associated with the occurrence of hexamitiasis (hole-in-head disease) in this (and other) cichlid species. Regular partial water changes of about 15-20% weekly should suffice to keep nitrate low in the curviceps-only aquarium; more may be necessary in a community tank with a higher fish population relative to water volume.

As already discussed, this species is hardy as regards water chemistry; however optimum conditions are generally regarded as being fairly soft (up to about 6 degrees dH) and slightly alkaline to neutral (pH 6.5-7), with a temperature of about 26 degrees (80 degrees F). Hard alkaline water should be avoided if dealing with wild specimens.

Tankmates, if applicable, should be other small peaceful fishes suited to the tank conditions (decor and water), and may include other cichlids - other dwarfs, keyholes (Cleithracara maronii), Angels (Pterophyllum scalare), Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) provided there is sufficient territorial space for each species. Angels and Discus are not in direct competition for space as they are not bottom-oriented, but in general other dwarfs will be. Although in nature L.curviceps is sympatric with larger cichlids too - eg Hypselecara, Mesonauta, Heros, Satanoperca, Acaronia, and Crenicichla, these are all too large; small fishes tend to be nervous if kept with significantly larger ones, and with justification in the case of the last two genera listed, which are predatory!

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