''Laetacara curviceps'', the Flag acara, Dwarf flag cichlid, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
cichlid
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...
that lives in slow-moving rivers and streams as well as ponds and lakes of the
Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
. This species can reach a
total length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.
Overall length
* Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...
of .
In the aquarium
The species is very peaceful compared to most other cichlids, and will not uproot
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
s. They enjoy slightly soft and acidic water, but are generally tolerant of a range of conditions. Flag acaras are ideal for communities with other peaceful Amazon fish, such as tetras and apistos. Flag acaras are commonly kept in aquariums though they were more popular in the past; nowadays other
dwarf cichlid
Dwarf cichlid is a term used by fishkeeping hobbyists to describe an arbitrary assemblage of small-sized fish from the family Cichlidae. Although the grouping is widely used in the aquarium industry and hobby, the grouping has no taxonomic or eco ...
rams
In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)eggs on a flat surface, but may
spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: Ar ...
directly on gravel.
After a few days the eggs will hatch and become wigglers. This is when the fish have hatched out of their eggs, but are still attached to the spawning surface, and feeding off of their
yolk sac
The yolk sac is a membranous sac attached to an embryo, formed by cells of the hypoblast layer of the bilaminar embryonic disc. This is alternatively called the umbilical vesicle by the Terminologia Embryologica (TE), though ''yolk sac'' is far ...
s, which are attached to their stomachs. After five to seven days of being wigglers, the fish have almost completely consumed their yolk sacs and become free swimming. They are very small, but can normally eat newborn brine shrimp as a first food. They can also be fed liquid fry food, which is available at most fish or pet stores.
The parents take equal guard shifts protecting the eggs, wigglers, and fry. As devoted as the parents are, they sometimes seem to get confused and eat their own eggs. If fearful for their brood's safety, the parents pick up the fry in their mouth and move them across the tank. They take turns moving the fry, one standing guard over the already moved young. The fry are protected by their parents until they are moderately large and can fend for themselves.
See also
*
List of freshwater aquarium fish species
A vast number of aquatic species have successfully adapted to live in the freshwater aquarium. This list gives some examples of the most common species found in home aquariums.
Catfish
Characins and other characiformes
...