Obtained a lovely pair of F1 juveniles from a friend through a local fish-club auction a year or two ago. Was quite pleased with the purchase, as I managed to get them for quite a cheap price and had wanted a pair for some time after I had seen some labelled as Laetacara sp. 'Orangeflossen' some years prior.
Very attractive fishes, a good medium-size and quite bold once accustomed to aquarium-life.
Quite oddly enough they have been remarkably peaceable (even for a Laetacara) and I have no qualms keeping them with delicate fishes too big to eat, as well as easily-spooked fishes such as discus.
They have not proved bothersome in any capacity and indeed this is the first time I have ever kept a fish so bold yet peaceful.
Earlier last year I managed to purchase the adult parent group of wild-caught Colombian fishes, and introduced them to the F1 pair - as the F1s had paired off but not bred, and given their smaller size I suspected they were still too immature to spawn.
I had made plans to move the two F1s elsewhere when they grew larger but saw no issue keeping the fishes in a large collective group in a 75-gallon (~285litre) aquarium with dense vegetation and cover.
The F1s immediately became defensive and bullied each individual adult to point of suicide via bashing on the lid/jumping out or damage and infection over the course of several months.
As the adults were shy it was difficult to tell until I saw an ill fish that often recovered poorly, if at all, once separated.
It was a remarkably surprising observation and I only regret I did not have a better plan in place for separating the group.
Now I am left with a steadily-growing pair- the original F1s- that has shown inclinations to spawn but not committed to the act- or if they have I had not seen it and the fry or eggs must have been eaten.
Since the fiasco with the wild adults I have not since seen any motion by them to molest other tank-mates; even other similar cichlids such as Ivanacara that I had temporarily held on behalf of an acquaintance for a few days.
They rarely command a great deal of attention on their own and I admit to not giving them much focus due to their unproblematic attitude and nature.
I hope to update this thread with any future notes of spawning if ever they reach that point, as well as pictures of the pair as they are now.
Very attractive fishes, a good medium-size and quite bold once accustomed to aquarium-life.
Quite oddly enough they have been remarkably peaceable (even for a Laetacara) and I have no qualms keeping them with delicate fishes too big to eat, as well as easily-spooked fishes such as discus.
They have not proved bothersome in any capacity and indeed this is the first time I have ever kept a fish so bold yet peaceful.
Earlier last year I managed to purchase the adult parent group of wild-caught Colombian fishes, and introduced them to the F1 pair - as the F1s had paired off but not bred, and given their smaller size I suspected they were still too immature to spawn.
I had made plans to move the two F1s elsewhere when they grew larger but saw no issue keeping the fishes in a large collective group in a 75-gallon (~285litre) aquarium with dense vegetation and cover.
The F1s immediately became defensive and bullied each individual adult to point of suicide via bashing on the lid/jumping out or damage and infection over the course of several months.
As the adults were shy it was difficult to tell until I saw an ill fish that often recovered poorly, if at all, once separated.
It was a remarkably surprising observation and I only regret I did not have a better plan in place for separating the group.
Now I am left with a steadily-growing pair- the original F1s- that has shown inclinations to spawn but not committed to the act- or if they have I had not seen it and the fry or eggs must have been eaten.
Since the fiasco with the wild adults I have not since seen any motion by them to molest other tank-mates; even other similar cichlids such as Ivanacara that I had temporarily held on behalf of an acquaintance for a few days.
They rarely command a great deal of attention on their own and I admit to not giving them much focus due to their unproblematic attitude and nature.
I hope to update this thread with any future notes of spawning if ever they reach that point, as well as pictures of the pair as they are now.
