Introduction
N. anomala is an attractive dwarf cichlid
suitable for a community tank. It won't destroy the tank by digging
nor will it eat plants. It's easy to keep and breed.
Distribution & Availability
A South American species - Guyana and Suriname.
Availability in local shops is sporadic (In the UK at least) though
may be available more reliably via mail order.
Description
Males - up to 6.5cm (some references state 9cm).
Adult males are splendid fish indeed. The body is chocolate brown with
the bottom two thirds having brilliant blue/green scale edges giving
the fish a metallic shimmer. The long finely spotted dorsal fin is
carried erect and comes to a point at the rear; it's edged in pale
blue and red. The rounded caudal fin and pointed anal fin are
similar, though less well marked and without the edging. The long
pelvic fins are pale blue with a cream leading edge. The pectoral
fins are colourless. The male can exhibit a fright pattern of
longitudinal bands.
Females - up to 5cm. Drab in comparison to the
male. Brown upper body, separated from the pale belly by a
longitudinal strip which runs from the eye to the caudal peduncle. A
faint stripe runs from the eye downwards in the manner of
Apistogramma species. When brooding, the female becomes
intensely marked in yellow and black.
Requirements
Not a demanding species by any means and suitable
for a planted community tank of peaceful fish such as tetras and
Corydoras catfish. Males will fight so 1 pair per tank only.
Tank size: 60cm minimum, preferably 90cm
Decoration: plenty hiding places
constructed from bogwood and plants will reduce it's tendency to
be shy
Temperature: 22-26oC
pH: 6-7.5
Hardness: not critical, 2-15odH
Feeding
Relishes live foods such as white worm and
daphnia. Frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp also taken. Will eat
flake when hungry but will not thrive on flake alone.
Breeding
These fish breed very easily and will breed in a
community tank. For best results condition on live and frozen foods
and give them their own 60cm tank. Decorate the tank with wood and
rocks, make sure there are plenty hiding places.
Initially the male will vigorously court the
female and may drive her too hard if she's not quite ready to spawn.
The hiding places will allow her some respite at this time. Spawning
will occur on a flat surface (occasionally inside a pot or cave but
more usually in the open). When spawning has occurred it's now the
males turn to make use of the hiding places. At this point it's
important that the male is removed. Although the female may be less
than half his size, she is quite capable of killing him. This is the
only item of difficulty in the spawning procedure and means the
aquarist must keep a watchful eye on the pair until they spawn. A
good indicator will be the dramatic change in colour of the female
and the male will be cowering in the corner somewhere.
Around 150-200 eggs can be laid and the female
guards them diligently. They will hatch in 2 or 3 days and are free
swimming 5-7 days after hatching. When the fry are free swimming the
female can be removed although if you leave the female with her
brood you can witness the interesting communication signals she
gives in the form of jerky body movements.
Fry can be fed on microworm and newly hatched
brine shrimp. Growth rates can be remarkably dissimilar with some
fry reaching 3cm in around 4 months while others are barely half
this size. They quickly learn to take small grindal worm and crushed
flake.
USA Show standards
Size: Males 6.5cm, females 5cm
Breeding category:
D
Show class: DC.
Summary
N. anomala is rarely offered for sale in
most shops. This may be because in the bare tanks of a typical
store, it never shows its true colours. This is a great pity because
when given the right care this is a stunning little fish. It's also
undemanding of water conditions, peaceful and easy
to breed. For somebody wanting to breed dwarf cichlids, this is an
ideal starter fish.
References
Baensch, H. A., Riehl, R.(1982):
Aquarium Atlas
Fishbase
species summary
Personal observation
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