As the Fish of the Month for October, there will a bag of 5 x Vieja argentea around 5cm available at the PCS Meeting for auction.
This is a special lot to raise money for Stuart Grant Fund for Cichlid Preservation and have kindly been donated by one of our PCS Premium Sponsors - Aquotix.
Vieja argentea.
This species is from the river Usumacinta drainage in western Mexico
Size
Maximum length is around 12″ (30cm).
Classification
Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae
Distribution
Vieja argentea are endemic to the river Usumacinta drainage in western Mexico. They inhabit shallow waters around rocky parts of the shoreline.
Diet
Primarily herbivorous in the wild, this species is not a fussy eater in captivity. Use a good quality cichlid pellet as the staple diet. Vegetable matter in the form of spirulina or algae wafers should form an important part of the diet.
Use a quality flake or cichlid pellets for the staple diet. Ensure that you vary the diet by adding chopped earth worms, bloodworms and brine shrimp to keep the fish interested in food. To get the best colouration use some vegetable matter to the diet. They are not fussy eaters but it may take a couple of days for them to settle in the aquarium before they regain their full appetite. Providing a varied diet will ensure that they will display their best colouration.
Feeding Frequency: Feed once or twice a day.
Maintenance
The tank should be decorated with rocks and driftwood. Care should be taken to secure any decor as the fish will often re-arrange it to suit themselves. Plants can be used but are likely to be uprooted. Lighting levels are not critical and decent filtration should be provided as this fish is a messy eater.
Vieja argentea is very aggressive and should be kept in larger tanks to give it plenty of room. A pair will require a four foot tank to be happy. Include some hiding places but the fish may decide to re-arrange the décor to their liking. The use of plants is not advised as these are a destructive species of fish and all plants will be uprooted constantly giving them no chance of surviving in the aquarium. Lighting can vary according to your set up, the white cichlid is not too fussy as to the lighting level but if adding a pair to a breeding set up you will get better results with dimmed lighting.
They are an aggressive species and should only be housed with similar sized cichlids that can handle themselves, make sure that the fish have plenty of room to establish territories and this should ease the aggression slightly. Like all large cichlids, they are high waste producers so make sure that the filtration system can handle the waste and make sure that regular water changes are performed.
Water Changes: Weekly - They must have excellent filtration as this fish is a messy eater.
Temperature: 78-86°F (26-30°C) pH: 7.0 Hardness: 10-15°H
Character
Spawning
White cichlids are extremely difficult to sex but when mature, the males tend to be slightly larger than the females.