كل ما تريد معرفته عن سمكة التكساس 🐟 Green texas Red texas American cichlid 💚

Описание: Big, bold, and beautiful—discover how to keep the only cichlid native to the United States.

Texas Cichlid Pride

The territorial Texas cichlid is the only cichlid native to the United States. Just like its Central American relatives, it can be quite aggressive and should only be kept by aquarists interested in dealing with belligerent fish.

The safest course of action is, of course, to keep the Texas cichlid on its own, but it can be combined with other hard-line species as long as the aquarium is at least 125 gallons. An aquarium of that size is also big enough to house a Texas cichlid pair, but be prepared to divide it into two sections if the couple turns out to be incompatible.

The natural home of the Texas cichlid is the lower Rio Grande Drainage in Texas and northeast Mexico, where it is a popular game fish. It can be found not only in the main river but also in smaller streams and pools, and is commonly referred to as the Rio Grande perch. It is known as mojarra del norte (northern mojarra) south of the river.

A Spirited Beauty

One of the reasons why Herichthys cyanoguttatus is such a popular aquarium fish is its appealing look. As a juvenile, the Texas cichlid is pearly gray with white dots on the body and fins and displays two characteristic black spots—one in the center of the body and the other at the caudal fin base. As it matures, the body develops a golden shade with pearly highlights, and the fins and body become adorned with white and turquoise spots.

The adult fish is also decorated with three black bars and the rear half of the body (including the caudal fin base) sports a profusion of small black dots. If you manage to get your fish into breeding mode in the aquarium, the underside of the body will turn black and the three black bars will become even darker than before.

Housing and Care

It is not advisable to house an adult Texas cichlid in an aquarium smaller than 75 gallons because it can reach a length of 12 inches. Try to mimic the natural habitat of the fish by covering the bottom of the aquarium with sand and providing lots of rocks and roots in the setup. Adding live plants will make the fish feel even more at home, but avoid sensitive species because the Texas cichlid is fond of burrowing near plants. An ideal setup would include rooted plants along with floating ones that dim the light and provide cover for the fish.

Herichthys cyanoguttatus is a subtropical species that will appreciate a water temperature of 70° to 75°F in the aquarium, but it is known to adapt well to both cooler and warmer conditions. The water should be basic, neutral, or just slightly acidic—pH 6.5 to 8.0. The recommended water hardness is dH 8 to 25.

Temperament and Tankmates

As mentioned above, the Texas cichlid is a feisty creature and should therefore only be combined with fish capable of fending for themselves. You can, for instance, keep it with aggressive Central and South American cichlids of roughly the same size, provided that your aquarium is large enough. It should also be noted that some specimens are exceedingly aggressive while others can be fairly non-confrontational toward other fish. Each fish has a unique personality that may change over time. Some specimens become virtually impossible to keep with any other fish as they age, and these individuals are best housed in their own aquarium.

Feeding

When it comes to feeding, the Texas cichlid is certainly not a finicky eater and will readily accept virtually any type of food, including flakes and pellets. Keeping H. cyanoguttatus on a diet that consists solely of dry food is not something I can recommend, however—in my experience, a Texas cichlid will stay much healthier and happier in the aquarium when provided a varied diet containing live (or at least fresh or frozen) foods. I prefer to use high-quality flakes and pellets as a base and supplement that with plenty of live and thawed meaty foods, such as worms and shrimps. I also include vegetables and algae-based food in the diet because even a fierce predator like the Texas cichlid ingests considerable amounts of green food in the wild.

Growing Your Own

Raising your own Texas cichlids is not very difficult once you have obtained a compatible pair, but unfortunately even mated Texas cichlids tend to fight each other a lot. Females can be distinguished by a black spot on their dorsal, which the males do not have. The male fish is generally larger and has brighter colors. Older males may develop a cranial bump, but some individuals never do despite their age, and there are also reports of female specimens with bumps.