Photo A. StalsbergAequidens have long been a catch all group, for cichlids from South America, with three anal fin spines and looking like fish we have called Aequidens. There have been fish, that even amateurs knew could not be an Aequidens. So when Dr. Sven O. Kullander made his Revision of the Genus Cichlasoma in 1983 he also reviewed the genus Aequidens. He distinguished a number of species groups. Several of these groups have since that, been recognized as genera. CLEITHRACARA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. LAETACARA, Kullander 1986. KROBIA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. GUIANACARA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. BUJURQUINA, Kullander 1986. TAHUANTINSUYOA, Kullander 1986.
There are still more new Aequidens to come, and hopefully will the different known Ae. spec. also be described.
Well as soon as I get a little time, I'll add more info about my dear Aequidens, I have been collecting more Aequidens and with good fishfriends help I have got more Aequidens
.
Photo A. Stalsberg
"Aequidens" rivulatus was described by Günther in 1859. The fish comes from western Ecuador and has been found and collected in Rio Esmeralda and tributaries, and rivers north of Rio Esmeraldas. At least up to Rio Cayapas, Rio Sapayensis,and Rio Santiago. Material from these places label as "Aequidens" sapayensis is probably synonym to "Aequidens" rivulatus. How far north into Colombia the fish goes need further investigation. I did collect this fish first time in 1987 in a small stream about 23 km west of Quininde (Rosa Zarate) in Ecuador. Material was given to Nat. Hist. Mus. Stockholm, Sweden. And Dr. Kullander compare this material with Günthers material in London and he said that the fishes I had collected near Quininde was the true "Aequidens" rivulatus.
Photo A. Stalsberg
A younger male show the shape of of the caudal peduncle and also the shape of
the caudal fin.
There is a divide which goes from the Ecuadorian Andes and west to Esmeralda. This ridge pass the town Santo Domingo de Los Colorados and goes west.
*** Rivers south of this ridge ends out in the Golf of Guayaquil and is called Guayas River system. In these rivers there is a fish that also have been called "Aequidens rivulatus". This fish came on the hobbymarked in the end of the seventies. Everybody thought that this fish had to be the one Günther described in 1859 from Ecuador, I was not agree, and the more I have been working with these fishes, the more I have learn, and also that this fish from northern Peru and and Ecuador is probably not "Aequidens" rivulatus,but the one we in the hobby call "Aequidens" sp. Goldsaum.
So far this fish is not scientific described and will probably not be in the Genus Aequidens when it will be described. It's over twenty years since the fish appear on the market, so let's hope somebody will do something about it.
Photo A. Stalsberg 
** This fish comes from Peru, and here in Europe we call this fish Silbersaum. It was Luling that first collect this fish in 1972, and sent fishes to USA, the fishes came then to Europa and I got my first fish in 1975. They were sold as "Aequidens" rivulatus.
When the "Goldsaum" came on the market in the end of the 1970's it looks like everybody had forgotten this "Silbersaum" from Peru and called the new one from Ecuador, "Aequidens" rivulatus. I was not agree with this, because I still had the "Silbersaum" from Peru. But, I could not be, absolute certain that I was right.
I have been working hard with these fishes ever since, and this ends up with my first collecting trip to Ecuador in 1987. I collected the fishes earlier mention from Quininde, but, I did not know at that time that I had collected the real Aequidens rivulatus, because I was not able to bring back fish alive. Only the dead material was sent to Stockholm, to Dr. Sven O. Kullander.
I went back to Ecuador in 1989 and collected in rivers south of Guayaquil and even south of Machala. The nearest town was La Avanzada and I followed the road to Balsas and passed a river called Rio Arenillas. There I collect "Aequidens" spec. "Goldsaum" and "Cichlasoma" festae. The last week, I went up to the biotop near Quininde, and was able to bring back the "Aequidens" rivulatus, but still I did not know if I had the real one. The fishes grew up to be very nice fishes and then I start compare the fishes with the other ones, and I was bothering Dr. Kullander and asked him if he could look at my material from Ecuador. It took some years, but in a combination trip when he went to London, he also took the time to check Günthers material. And then he told me that I most certainly had the real "Aequidens" rivulatus. I went also back to Ecuador in 1991, 1993 and in March 2003.
So, then it was this "Silbersaum" from Peru, what was the distribution of this fish ? I went to Peru in 1994 to seek this information. I had with me Dr. Patrick de Rham and another friend. To make it short; We found out that the southern distribution of this fish was in Rio Pisco. When I asked Dr. Hernan Ortega at the Nat. Hist. Museum in Lima, he also said that they had not found the "Silbersaum" further south. Then I went north to see if I could establish the northern distribution of the "Silbersaum". We started in Rio Tumbes where we collect the "Goldsaum", we did not find any "Silbersaum. We went up in Rio Zarumilla and collected several places, still collecting only the "Goldsaum" also in a small stream/river called Rio Faical we still collect the "Goldsaum".
I also wanted to check the rivers south to see if I would found the "Goldsaum" and the "Silbersaum" together in one river. But, all the rivers were dry, and it was only desert. We did not found any rivers with water before we came to a small place about one hour drive north of Piura. The place was called Pueblo Mallares. There we collected our first "Silbersaum", but unfortunately also Tilapias. Tetras like Rhodsia, Brycon, Lebiasina, Bryconamericanus peruanes, Pseudocurimata and Guppy. Water temp. 22,5 C. pH 8,2, dH 31, kH 15 and 1850 micro siemens. We went the day after, up to a place called Tambo Grande, passing Sullana and was collecting in every river we crossed. And in all the places we collect, we collect "Aequidens" spec. "Silbersaum". I had also collect material for the Museum in Stockholm, and the material was from Rio Cañete and Rio Pisco in the south. Because Dr. Kullander told me, he did not have any material from the south, only north of Lima. There was also some small differences between the "Ae".spec."Silbersaum from the south and the northern type. But, I don't think the last word has been spoken yet, about this issue, but I feel I'm pretty close. It remains to see. who grab this and describe the other fishes. They might be called something else than "Aequidens" in the end. But, in the meantime we can still call the fish "Aequidens" with quotation marks.
"A".biseriatus male, photo A. Stalsberg
"Aequidens"
biseriatus female in spawning colors. Photo Alf Stalsberg
When Regan described this fish in 1913 he did not call it "Aequidens", his name was Cichlosoma biseriatum. The fish collecter was Mr. Spurrell, and the fish comes from Colombia in the province of Choco. The province is situated on the west coast of Colombia and goes up to the border of Panama. The typelocality is Rio Condoto, a tributary to Rio San Juan.
My personal experience was that the fish was found in tributaries not only to Rio San Juan, but also in tributaries to Rio Atrato. I collect it first time in a small stream along the road to Tado. Also around Istmina, and along the Pan American "Highway" from Panamericana (Las Animas), and into a small river called Rio Tarido, which was a tributary to Rio Quito, which ended out in Rio Atrato.
The fish grow up to around 10-12 cm in total lenght, my largest male was around 10 cm., and the female smaller. The colours is not so easy to tell, but I hope the photo of the male will give you an idea. When they spawn, the female turns black. And when you have seen adult "Aequidens" biseriatus once, you will easily recoqnise the fish from other Aequidens.
In my aquariums the fish usually spawns on a smooth flat stone, but I have also had fish that have spawn on a broad leaf of a Amazon Sword. I have not tried to give them dry oak leaves to see if they would spawn on the leaves in the same manner as Bujurquina does.
Left is a male with fry and the right photo shows a fish just after capture
in daily colors.
A
Pair of "Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus in spawning colors. Photo A.
Stalsberg
This fish was first described by Kner & Steindachner as Acara coeruleopunctatus, and have later been described by several others; Pellegrin 1904, Regan in 1905, Meek & Hildebrand in 1916 and Regan again in 1913 as Cichlosoma (Æquidens) coeruleopunctatus and as Aequidens coeruleopunctatus, Eigenmann 1913.
The fish has also been described by several others under different names. So there is plenty scientific materials about the fish. The typelocality was Rio Chagres in the Canal Zone but I'm not sure which one of the Rio Chagres is the right one. Rio Chagres start up in the mountain and ends into Lago Alajuela, from there it goes out in Lago Gatun near Gamboa. And in the other side of the Lago Gatun near the locks at Gatun the river is also called Rio Chagres. But, since I was in Panama for a month (February 1996) I collect "Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus many places, it was all over. We found it all over in the Canal Zone, in all rivers we were collecting in down to Yaviza and rivers in Yaviza as Rio Chucunaque, Rio Tupisa (a tributarie to Rio Chucunaque) in Rio Chico and small streams. We also found it in all the rivers we collect in up to the border to Costa Rica. But, we did not found it the other side of the mountains in Bocas del Toro in Rio Guarumo. When I was laying in the water and study the fish, I could not see any differences in the fish south from Yaviza and the fish around David. So I brought with me home new blood of"Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus, and will study the fish closer in the tank.
There is something that puzzle me a little bit, and that is that I kept a fish several years ago that we called Aequidens sapayensis. I got my fish from friends in Denmark and they had brought it back from Germany. And they called it Aequidens sapayensis. Named after the river Sapayo in North West Ecuador. So fare I have not been in that river, but I might go there one day. But, back to what puzzle me, the fishes look very much like the one we call "Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus, and that strikes me when I was collecting the fish in Panama. They remind me of the fish I had about ten years ago and we called it Aequidens sapayensis. But, since I did not collect the fish myself, I can not be sure where the fish came from. So some of the material collected in Panama will be sent to The Nat. Hist. Mus. in Stockholm , Sweden to Dr. Kullander, and then I have to wait until Dr. Kullander have the time to check the fish.
The"Aequidens" coerulepunctatus is a easy fish to keep and breed and I can recommend the fish.
A
male of Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg
This Aequidens belong to the "new" fish. I know that Rainer Stawikowski collect the fish in Rio Tapjós in Brazil in 1992, so this fish did not lay many years in some Museum, but it was described by Dr. Kullander in August 1995 and the description was published in "Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters" Volume 6, No. 2.
He described three species, one was Aequidens gerciliae, A. epae and A. michaeli. A. michaeli is already out here on my page, because I've had this fish since 1990. But, A. epae is new to me and probably to most of you.
A female of Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg
I got some fry from a friend of mine in Germany, namely Ingomar Kranz. The fish looks like most of the Aequidens when they are small, grey dull color, but I know that many of these fishes turns out to be beautiful fish when they grow up. I don't think I shall try to explain to yoy have the color is or will be when they spawn, it's better you look at the photos and make up your mind yourself, in my opinion, the fish is very nice.
The largest fish is the male and my three males is about the same in size, females are much smaller. The fish is rather easy to keep, temperature around 26*C., pH around 7 or a little lower to the acid side, and dH should not be any problem as long as extremes are avoid, my dH is around 2 dH. Fry is easily fed with newly hatched Artemia. Good water quality is important to all fish and this is easy maintain with water change. The fish comes from Brazil, from Rio Tapajós drainage. Well what more is there to say......, if you have experience keeping cichlids from the Genus Aequidens, you should have no problem with this one. The problem will be to get hold of the fish.
Photo A. Stalsberg
A young "Aequidens" sp. collected out in the Choco Province in Colombia, note the close resemblance to "Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus.
Photo A. Stalsberg
This is an adult female of "Aequidens" sp. collected out in Choco, Colombia too. Photo is taken in aquarium when the female is guarding eggs. A photo is seldom given the fish color full credit, but I hope the photo will give you an idea about how nice the fish is. This is also one of the fish put in the "Aequidens" pulcher-group. I hope that in the near future all of the "Aequidens" with quotationmarks soon will get a new Genus. But, we can still have the pleasure keeping this fish in the meantime.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
This is an old favorite in the hobby, it's easy to keep, easy to breed, eats almost anything and is also very tolerant when it comes to the water quality. The fish was first described in 1922 by Eigenmann, and was collected in Colombia in Rio meta river system, which also have given the fish the name metae. The typelocality is Barrigón, in Caño Carnicera and Cumaral.
Other known collecting sites is near Villavicencio and Puerto Gaitán. The distibution of this fish is larger than thought in the begining so this gives some different variation in colors etc. The type of the fish (Eigenmanns description)was 155 mm and the paratype was 168 mm, but I've had fish bigger than that. But, fish kept in aquarium often grow bigger than in their natural environment.
Plenty of food, no other fish that hunt them, no King Fisher etc. They can eat and enjoy their stay in the aquarium. People not familiar with the fish can easy think about Aequidens tetramerus when they see Aequidens metae, and there is not big differences either. If you want to read Eigenmanns description then here is the information you need to go to a Museum or other places where you can get a copy.
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. IX, No 1. "The fishes of Western South America, Part 1. page 241 (Æequidens metæ sp. nov.)By C.H. Eigenmann
Photo
A. Stalsberg
This fish was only recently described, but I have had the fish already for some years, and we have used the name Aequidens sp. "Rio Xingu". The fish was brought to Europe from Brazil in 1988 by Bernd Kilian, Uli Schliewen and Rainer Stawikowski. They had collect the fish in Rio Xingu close to Altamira. So, the name Aequidens sp. "Rio Xingu" was used.
I got some small frys from my friend Rainer Stawikowski in 1990 if I recall it right. The fry was eating good and grew up to the beautiful fish on the photo. It took some time before they spawned, but at last they did. They eat everything, but that goes for most of the Aequidens.
Photo A. Stalsberg
Aequidens pallidus is not very well known, and when I first got it, I thought it was A. metae, checking available literature I had then, said that the fish was A. duopunctata. But I could not accept this, because photos show another fish. The fish grew and was more than 15 cm. The two photos is photos from the first A. pallidus I had, they changed color after the mood, and as you see from the photos the color could be quite different. The fish is a substrate spawner, even I could find literature saying that the fish was probably larvophile, but I did not see any of this when the fish spawne in my tank.I spend a lot of time in my fishroom and I'm quite sure I would have noticed this. But I did not see any indication, on that the fish should be delayed mouth brooders. But, I decide that I should keep an eye on them next time. But, they never spawne again.
So it took me many years before I got back the fish, and I got some small fish from my friend Rainer Stawikowski. But I visit a fish importer in Sweden and when I look thru all his tanks, I came to som large tanks housing tousand and tousand of Paracheirodon axelrodi. Among these Tetras I saw some small cichlids and I ask where these Tetras came from. was it Colombia or was it Brazil?? He said Brazil and I ask him if I could buy the small cichlids?? He said yes. When I came home with the fish and placed them in a tank, I could see that it was an Aequidens, but nothing more, they was too small. Well it was only feed them well and waite until they grew up. And today the largest fisk is about 13 cm. and I'm the owner of Aequidens pallidus again.
So now I just have to be patient, and hope they will pair out and spawne. I don't know from where in Brazil these fish are coming from, but literatur says that the fish is coming from the lower and middle Rio Negro, Rio Preto da Eva, Rio Urubu and other rivers tributaries belonging to the Rio Negro system. The fish is not difficult to keep and they eat almost anything, they love earthworms and can eat until they lay on the bottom and can't take more. A temperature between 25-30*C. is good, I have kept the fish with plants too, large Amazon swordplants, Crinum thaianum, Giant Vallisnera and Microsorum.
The fish I have now is a little different in colors, and I will take some new photos and add them to the page, so you can compare the old and new ones. As I said ealier, the old fish was changing color very often , and you can see two different colors on the photos. The ones I keep to day does not change the color that much, but they are beautiful fish.
A. patricki female
A. patricki male. 
Female A. patricki with eggs.
Aequidens patricki is one of the most beautiful Aequidens, it has colors. Many people said to me; How can you keep such "grey" fish?? Colors does not mean everything, but I have nothing against fish with colors, and Aequidens patricki is such a fish.
A. patricki comes from Peru in Rio Aguaytia and Rio Pachitea and was described in 1984. When I red the description (I got a copy from Dr. Kullander), I had no hope that this fish would swim in my tanks soon, but I got the fish from a German friend quicker than expected.
The fish grows to a size around twelve cm. for the female and about 15 cm. for the male. The fish can behave rather aggressive against fish of the same kin, but I've also had fish that have been very nice against others. A tank suitable for a pair should at least be around 160 liter. If you have a lot rocks and bogwood in the tank you could have more or other fish in the tank.The fish is tolelerant for different kind of water, but a pH around neutral or slightly under is good. dH could be from zero and at least up to 10 dH.
A subadult A. potaroensis in a phototank just after collecting. Photo A.
Stalsberg.
A. potaroensis in Aquarium,it can reach a lenght around 15cm. Photo A. Stalsberg.
Aequidens potaroensis is not a common fish in the trade or the hobby, I don't know if I ever would have got it if I had not gone to Guyana myself. It was up in Kamarang in a small tributary to Mazaruni river and the name was Kanawee Creek. As you probably can see of the photo if you enlarge them, the water was rather clear, but cold. Well if the temperature had been on water in Norway, we would have said, great temperature, but in South America this was very cold. It was 21,7 degrees celsius. Waterparameters was pH 6,5 -dH 2 and kH was 1.
Aequidens pulcher of uknown origin. Photo A. Stalsberg
"Aequidens" pulcher ( Gill 1858 ) is one of the oldest known "Aequidens. It has been one of the cichlid many aquarist have started with, and many still keep the fish. Or like I do, I'll always comes back to it, because it's a beautiful fish.
The fish was described by Gill in 1858 and not as Aequidens, but as Cychlasoma pulchrum from the western portion of Trinidad. Later several others have also described the fish, until it ends up as "Aequidens" pulcher. And it's put into the "Aequidens" pulcher group with several others, like; "Aequidens" biseriatus (Regan, 1913), "A". coeruleopunctatus (Kner & Steindachner, 1863), "A". rivulata (Günther, 1859), and "A". sapayensis (Regan, 1903).
It's obviously to many of us, that we are talking about more than one species. But, so far I don't know if there is any scientist looking into this. So we need to keep these different species appart from each other to avoid mixing.
Just before I catch the Blue Acara.
Here I've got the Blue Acara in the bag.
The true Blue Acara (Aequidens pulcher) from Trinidad.
The water parameters in this biotop
| ph | dH | kH | Nitrit | Microsiemens | Water temp. | Air temp. |
| 7,5 | 4 | 7 | < 0,1 | 270 | 25°C. | 31°C. |
I went to Trinidad to collect the "true" Aequidens pulcher,we drove on the Eastern Highway from Port of Spain and the first biotop was just before Aripa. We collect Guppy, "Aequidens" pulcher, Tetra, Brycon or Astyanax type, Ancistrus sp.,Hypostomus sp.? and Pimelodella/Rhamdia sp. The water parameters was; Look above.
This fish is sold as Blue Acara, but it is closer to brown than blue, but
I don't know the origin to this fish
This small river is a tributary to Rio Cauca and the name is Quebrada Aurra.
We was passing it on our way to Choco. In this river we collect small fish that
we think are Aequidens latifrons.
There we collect a Blue Acara?? or maybe it is "Aequiden" latifrons??
They might be the same fish as the next photo, because Quebrada Aurra is a tributary
to Rio Cauca.
This fish did I collect in Rio Cauca, could this fish be "Aequidens"
latifrons??
Photo: Rainer Stawikowski.
These fish comes from further up the River Cauca namly close to Cali. And Rainer said that this fish might be Aequidens latifrons.
The original collecting site for this female of A. latifrons I don't know, but
it came on a shipment from Colombia
My favorite position in a small stream before Tutunendo.
Or
maybe this fish which I collect in a small Creek just before Tutunendo on our
way to Choco.
This is female of Aequidense "Choco." guarding eggs in an aquarium.
A
large male of "Ae." sapayensis.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
I got "Aequidens" sapayensis from my good friend F.Ingemann Hansen from Denmark in the early seventies and he had got the fish from Germany. The fish should be comming from a tributary to Rio Cayapas named Rio Sapayo. I don't have a map who is detailed enough to find the river, but it's said to be close to Rio Santiago on the west coast of Ecuador near San Lorenzo. I did not have time this year (2003) to go out to San Lorenzo and try to find the Rio Sapayensis, but I might go to Ecuador again, in combination with another country.
Female
"Ae." sapayensis with eggs.
Photo A. Stalsberg.
The fish might belong to the "Aequidens"- pulcher-group and it can remind a little of the "Ae. sp. "Choco" or latifrons, but you can also compare it with "Aequidens" coeruleopunctatus. The fish was easy to keep and easy to spawn, but I have never seen the fish since. So to find the fish and find out if the name is valid or what ??? I guess I need to go to Ecuador again.
This fish on the photo below was sold as Blue Acara, but you will se that this fish is not blue, but brown. But no one recall where this fish came from. Now these fish is around 10 cm. and one pair spawn, then with these color, this fish reminds me of the fish I had in the seventies called Aequidens sapayensis. (look at the photo above) Now I will keep a closer look at this fish. I have to go back to Ecuador in the future and try to look up Rio Sapayo and see if this fish is to be found there.
Female of "Aequidens sapayensis??
Photo A. Stalsberg
Here is a photo of the new female of the fish I think will be the one we used to call Aequidens sapayensis.Compare the female with the photo of the other female photo higher up on the page. At least, I'm very convinced that this is the same fish. It's very frustrating having a fish and not knowing where the fish is coming from. So I'll keep a closer watch on this fish now.
This fish, called Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo" is said to be coming from Maracaibo Bay in Venezuela, I was in the Maracibo Bay in 1965 and was swimming near a place called Puerto Mirranda. The water was rather turbid and suddenly I felt sombody was picking at my toes. I was going backward in to the shore and coming into the shore I was able to see that there was a fish (cichlid) picking at my toes, this could be the fish at the photo, but I did not have anything to catch the fish, so I guess I have to go back to confirm if this is the fish. It's beautiful, right?
Aequidens
sp. "Maracaibo"male.
Photo A. Stalsberg
Quisto Cocha type. Aequidens tetramerus (Heckel 1840) is the one of the larger Aequidens. It can grow to at least 20 cm. Males has longer dorsal and anal fins and have a little stronger color. The fish has a reputation to be quarrelsome, but my personal experience is not that. Of course the fish can take a fight, but not more than other cichlids.
You can't put this fish in a 50 liters tank, together with many
other fish and expect them to behave nice in a crowded environment?
The fish has a wide distribution, from Peru in west, thru Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia
and to the Guyanas in the East. I will show some photos of different A. tetramerus.
The first photo is of a A. tetramerus from Peru that I got from Dr. Kullander
in 1983, he collect the fish near Iquitos in a place called Quisto Cocha. Then
he called the fish Aequidens uniocellatus. Later he said it was a synonym to
Aequidens tetramerus.
The next 
A. tetramerus is also from Peru. Originally I had A. tetramerus from two different
places in Peru, but I'm not quite sure, is the one on the photo,is from Rio
Ucayali or Rio Nanay?
I think the nicest one is the one from Ecuador, 
I
collect it outside Lago Agrio and also in Lago Limon Cocha. Aequidens teramerus,
no matter which one is an easy fish to keep and spawn. But, that does not mean
you don't have to change water or feed it well. The fish will pay you back with
nice color and well behavior.
A pair with egg.
Photo: Alf Stalsberg.
The last one did I collect in Guyana, this one is more greenish in the color. The Aequidens tetramerus is easy to keep, they eat most of what you feed them, also easy to spawn, just give them a good water quality, by changing some of the water every week. They don't eat plants, at least what I have noticed, but they can move them. So I would suggest 5-6 small ones to start with in a 160 liters tank, and when they start to make pairs, then leave the pair alone in the tank and remove the others.
Female in the forground and the head of the male.
A.diadema male.
The A. diadema appears in the hobby from time to time, my fish was just pairing out when it happen. The heater did not work well and I boiled all my A. diadema, so I can't give you any information about breeding. The typesite of the fish is in a small river near Marabitanas in Brazil in the upper Rio Negro close to the border to Venezuela.
Photo A.Stalsberg.
This fish comes from Rio Trombetas in Pará Brazil. I will not try to explain to you the color on the fish, the photo should indicate the colors on adult fish.The fish reach a SL about 12 cm. and prefer fast floating jungle streams with clear water.It prefer also low pH, but I have not been able to breed the fish so far. So you have to settle with the photo of the fish, at least you know how it looks like.
Photo A.Stalsberg.
Here we are going up Rio Inirida to visit som of the lower tributarier to Rio Inirida. One of the first we went up to was Caño Aguajon. The water was a little turbid, but clear enough to snorkel there and catch fish. In the river we find for the first time an undescribed Aequidens, which we also saw in other tributaries and also in Rio Atabapo. So we called it Aequidens sp. atabapo. I took some underwaterphotos but they are not so very good, the water was turbid and the fish very shy, so I could not come very close, but you can see the Aequidens and also Mesonauta insignis.
You can see how the biotop in Caño Aguajon look like. The bottom layer was fine sand and a little layer with mud above. Some places there was also accumulation of leaves on the bottom. Especially used by the small Apistogramma who was hiding under it.
We used a seine to collect the Aequidens sp. atabapo and the fish was just after the capture placed in a phototank.
Aeq. sp. "Atabapo"
It was very dull in the color, but when I came home with the fish and it was settled down in the aquarium, the color start comming and I think you are agree that it is a very nice fish when you look at the photo.
Aeq. sp. "Atabapo"
Rainer Stawikowski and Uwe Werner state in their book,"Die Buntbarsche Amerikas", Band 1. that this fish is a delayed mouthbrooder.I've not bred the fish so I can't tell. My plan was to go to Colombia in March (2005) this year, but I was warned against,to go to Colombia for the moment. I hope it will cool down so I can go to this lovely country again.
Aequidens sp. "Jenaro Herrera" female guarding eggs and you see the male up right. The fish have been in the trade for awhile, coming and going and have been mixed with the Aequidens diadema. It's a beautiful fish when it's adult, but can look rather drab when its smaller.This goes for many cichlids, they does not get the nice apperance before they are adult, and this takes about two years. So if you are not a patient man, find something else. But, I will highly recommend the genus Aequidens, there are a lot of nice fish there, just scroll up this page and be convinced.
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You can reach me by e-mail at: alf.stalsberg@c2i.net