Biotoecus dicentrarchus

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could help me with some care for Biotoecus dicentrarchus, I can’t really find much. I’m thinking about getting some for a 20g long that will also have green neon tetras and corydoras concolor

 

[MacZ]

To be honest, the species is found so rarely in the hobby, I would dedicate a species tank to them and probably also try breeding. Both possible species you name for company I would not combine with these cichlids.

Biotoecus dicentrarchus - Aquarium Glaser GmbH

The dwarf cichlids of the genus Biotoecus were shrouded in mystery for decades. The first species, B. opercularis, was scientifically described as early as 1875. It originated from the Amazon River basin in Brazil, a well-collected area for aquaristic purposes, and yet the first import was not...

www.aquariumglaser.de

What Frank Schäfer, who is probably one of the most knowledgable living fish encyclopedias in Europe, writes here is speaking volumes.

Biotoecus opercularis — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

B. dicentrarchus and B. opercularis are quite closely related and have similar needs, so this will likely help aswell.

I know you are relatively new to this specialized part of the hobby, so you might want to try and get a hang of the availability of such species and how to value their rarity.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Ok, thank you!

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Could I do a group of checkerboard cichlids instead? Dicrossus filamentosus

 

[MacZ]

I have a quintet of juvenile Dicrossus filamentosus in a tank with 80x35cm footprint. I already know, I will have to rehome some of them at one point when they become adults. Unless I'm really lucky and have a ratio of 1-2 : 3-4. Before that I had a subadult male in a 60x30 and I knew this would not be optimal longterm.

 

[Ben Rhau]

Based on other’s reports, a pair of D. filamentosus could work in the 20g. Not D. maculatus, though. And the same advice you’ve been given for apisto pairs would apply.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Oh, I heard that they’re docile

 

[MacZ]

Oh, I heard that they’re docile

In that the females rarely squabble among themselves and they are not permanently in breeding mode when there are females. But in too small spaces they can still show their colours, so to speak.

 

[Ben Rhau]

Slight typo above. The same advice you've been given for *tankmakes* with apisto pairs applies. So not most tetras and corys with a breeding, bottom-dwelling cichlid pair. But there are a few exceptions.

 

[PissBabyTheFourth]

Ah ok