Hey from Brazil

[PedrazBR]

Hi, I'm a Brazilian aquarist and have a special thing about biotopes.
In the moment I got a biotope from a igarapé of Padauari river (middle, upper Rio Negro basin), with cardinals, leopard corys, ghost shrimp and a couple of Dicrossus maculatus.
I'm here to know more about dwarf cichlids, specially breeding.
Thanks!

 

[PedrazBR]

 

[gerald]

Welcome! Do you collect these wild fish yourself, or buy them?

 

[PedrazBR]

Hi gerald!
For this aquarium I bought. I live far away from north region (amazon).
But, I caught some fishes where I live.
In the apex of my aquarism, I got 7 biotopes form my region, all from wild, fish, substrate, stones etc.

 

[Mike Wise]

Welcome. Do you know that D. maculatus is from the Tapajós?

 

[PedrazBR]

Yeah, it is, but this was collected in the middle negro basin. In Brazil, some fishes are very hard to find to buy (everyone is exported). Took 4 months to get those dicrossus species and it's the only species that I found. i was looking for foirni, but luckless, then I got this couple and still looking for the foirnis
I run the I.D. key (?) for d. maculatus, and my fishes have one or two different structures hlathan maculatus. This discussion was open in a brazilian aquarium forum (like this), and the research ends up with crenicara maculata (found in axelrodi book).
I bought it direct from the a big importer/exporter, who was track the collect place as next to tefé. So, cause of this, I get used to call them d. maculatus, even beeig a dicrossus sp. sorry
Here is the video who inspired my biotope

 

[Mike Wise]

I, for one, am interested to see photos of your maculatus-like species!

 

[PedrazBR]

Ok. The male is almost impossible to picture, but i got lots of the female

16 dorsals spines, male with electric blue mask. No black dots in thr head, 2 striped of black dots through the body, with 4 dots in the back, 1 semidot in the tail base (tail? Theres another word?), 2 more (ligh black) in the last part of tail very close and 4 dots in the body.
I read something about maculatus been all over amazon basin, but only in some areas. And seeing the other brazilians chessboards from my friends and internet, they never look like mine, actually i've seen only 1 couple who look like mine.
Maybe subspecies or other color from isolated population?

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes ... or maybe a new species? The spots appear to be slightly narrower than the typical Tapajós or Madeira populations.

 

[PedrazBR]

Yeah. Can be a new species dicrossus genus looks a kind of unknow in the Brazilian studies. Sadly.
The male is not so colorful either, and they change colors and blsck dots like crazy.