GENUS

Aequidens and "Aequidens"

Text and photos by Alf Stalsberg unless otherwise indicated.

Aequidens has long been a group that they have placed fish with three anal spine and had an appearance looking like Aequidens from South America. There have been fish that even amateurs have seen that this can not be right. So when Dr Sven O. Kullander came with his revision of the Genus Cichlasoma in 1983 he also made a revision of the Genus Aequidens. He split it into several groups which later was new Genus. CLEITHRACARA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. LAETACARA, Kullander 1986. KROBIA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. GUIANACARA, Kullander & Nijssen 1989. BUJURQUINA, Kullander 1986. TAHUANTINSUYOA, Kullander 1986.

The known Aequidens and the doubtful "Aequidens".

There are still several new Aequidens that will come and hopefully the different Aequidens species will be described.

Well when I find time, I will lay out new information about my dear Aequidens. I have collected several Aequidens and with good help from fish friends I have got my hands on several other Aequidens. Under here you can click on the names and jump directly to the fish you want to see and read about.

Latest news: There has been published a new Genus where many of our old Aequidens have moved to. The new Genus is Andinoacara and came out this year 2009. One of our Aequidens sp. have also been described.

If you want to read the description, just follow this link:

www.vertebrate-zoology.de/vz59-2/02_Vertebrate_Zoology_59-2_Musilova.pdf

You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.

Andinoacara rivulatus (Günther,1859)

Photo: A. Stalsberg

Andinoacara ( Aequidens) rivulatus was described by Günther in 1859. This fish comes from western part of Ecuador and I have collect the fish in tributaries to Rio Esmeralda and north of Rio Esmeralda. I'm not certain of how fare north it could be found, but maybe as fare north as Rio Cayapes, and maybe in Rio Sapayensis and Rio Santiago. Material from these places is probably markt as Andinoacara (Aequidens) sapayensis, and could be synonym to Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. I think it need a further investigation to find how fare the Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus is going north.

I collect the fish first time in 1987 in a small river about 24 km west of Quininde (Rosa Zarate) in Ecuador. The material I collected was deliver to the Nat. Hist. Mus. in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Kullander compare my material with Günters material in London and said that the fish I had collected near Quininde was the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.

Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum) (Regan 1905)

Photo A. Stalsberg

A young male.

There is a ridge who goes from the Andes and west to Esmeralda. On this ridge you find the town Santo Domingo de Los Colorados. Rivers south of this ridge end into other rivers like Rio Daule and ends into the Golf of Guyaquil. This river system is called Guyas riversystem. In these rivers you find a fish we have also been called Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. This fish came on the market in the end of seventies. Most of the people thought this was the fish Günter described in 1859 from Ecuador.

I was not agree in this, and more I worked with these fishes, and more I learned abouth theme, I was more and more certain that the fish we called "Aequidens" sp. Goldsaum was not Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.

So fare,no-one has done anything before this year. It started with the publication of a new Genus and that was Andinoacara. It's more than twenty years since this fish showed up on the market, and now we will get the right name for the fish.

Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum). Zuzana Musilova, Ingo Schindler and Dr. Wolfang Staeck. 2009.

The new Genus and the description of this fish, was done by; Zuzana Musilova, Ingo Schindler and Dr. Wolfang Staeck. Description of Andinoacara stalsbergi sp.n. (Teleostei; Cichlidae; Cichlasomatini) from Pasific coastal rivers in Peru, and annotations on the phylogeny of the Genus.

** This fish comes from Peru, and in Europe we called the fish Aequidens sp. Silbersaum. It was Dr. Lüling who collect the fish for the first time in 1972 and sent 2000 fish to USA, the fish came later to Europe and I got my first fish in 1975 from a friend (Jan Carlen) from Haugesund. Then it was sold as "Aequidens" rivulatus too.
When the Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Aequidens sp. Goldsaum) enter the market in the end of seventies, it looks like everyone had forgotten the Silbersaum from Peru and they called this new one from Ecuador "Aequidens" rivulatus. I was not agree, because I still had the Aequidens sp. Silbersaum ( Green Terror) from Peru. But of course I could not be sure, I was right.

Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum).

Photo A. Stalsberg

Here we are collecting in a biotope in Rio Pisco in the dry season, not much water, just ponds down here. And we have got some boys as “assistant”. You should not stay long on a place before we got spectators.

Here is the lower part of Rio Pisco, and when you look at the opening crossing below the road, and then you understand it’s a lot of water passing in the rain season.

 

 

A very nice fish, we drove higher up in the river and we found a nice place called, Puente Bernales. There were more water and there we found the fish again.

This was a nice biotope by the Puente Bernales and there was lots of fish. There was a large male,

he was the "Boss",but he was too smart for me and I could not get him in the net, but we collect many small ones.

The female of Andinoacara stalsbergi is beautiful, can't say anything else.

I have worked hard with these fish since then, and as a result of this, I went on my first trip to Ecuador in 1987. I collect the fish from Quininde as I mention earlier, but I did not know then what I had collect. The dead material was sent to to Dr Sven O. Kullander. I did not know then that I had collected the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus, partly since I did not bring with me live speciemen. Only the dead fish was sent to Stockholm to Dr Sven O. Kullander.

I went back to Ecuador in 1989 and collect in the rivers south of Guyaquil and also south of Machala. The nearest town was La Avanzada and I followed the road to Balsas and passed Rio Arenillas. There I collect Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Aequidens sp. Goldsaum) and Cichlasoma festae. The last week I went up to the biotope near Quininde, and manage to collect and bring back home Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus, but still I did not know that this fish was the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus.

The fish grow up to be really nice fish and I started to compare the fish with the other, I was bothering Dr Kullander and asked him if he had compare my material from Ecuador with the other. It took some year, but in a combination trip to London, he took the time to check Günters material. And then he told me that it was quite certain that I had the real Andinoacara (Aequidens) rivulatus. I went to Ecuador again in 1991, 1993 and in 2003.

So then it was the Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum) from Peru, what was the distribution for this fish? I went to Peru in 1994 to find this out. Dr Patrick de Rham went with me together with some friends. To make this short, we found out the distribution for the Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum). We found that the most southern part we found the fish was Rio Pisco. When I talked with Professor Hernan Ortega Torres the head of the Nat. Hist. Museum in Lima, he said that they had not found the Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum) further south. So then we flew up to northern Peru to Tumbes, to see how far north the distribution was. We started in Rio Tumbes where we only collect the Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum), we did not collect any Andinoacara stalsbergi (Silbersaum) there. So we went up to Rio Zarumilla and collect on several places, but still only the Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum), and also in a small tributary called Rio Faical we collected Andinoacara aequinoctalis (Goldsaum) .

I wanted to check rivers we would pass on our way south, to see if we could find Andinoacara aequinoctalis together with the Andinoacara stalsbergi in the same river. But all the rivers south from Tumbes were dry, no water at all. Vi did not find any rivers with water before we came to a small village about one hour north of Piura. Rest of the land from Tumbes down to Pueblo Mallares was desert, only oil pumps working.

There we did collect our first Andinoacara stalsbergi north of Lima, but sad to say so, also Tilapia.

Tetras like Rhodsia latipinna, Brycon, Lebiasina, Bryconamericanus peruanes, Pseudocurimata and Guppy. Water temperature was 22.5*C. pH 8.2, dH 31, kH 15 and 1850 microsiemens. We went the day after up to a place called Tambo Grande, we was passing Sullana and collect fish in every river we crossed. In all the rivers we collected Andinoacara stalsbergi.

I had also collect material to the Nat. Hist. Museum in Stockholm and the material was from fra Rio Cañete and Rio Pisco in the south. Dr Kullander said he wanted material from the southern part. He had material from the northern part, north of Lima. He also meant that there was small differences between Andinoacara stalsbergi from the south and north.

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Andinoacara biseriatus (C.Tate Regan 1913)

Andinoacara biseriatus male. Photo A. Stalsberg

Andinoacara biseriatus female in breeding colors.

Photo Alf Stalsberg

When Regan described this fish in 1913, he did not call it Aequidens, but Cichlosoma biseriatum. The fish was collect by Mr Spurell, and the fish came from the Province Choco in Colombia. This Province lay in the west part of Colombia up to the border of Panama. The type locality is from Rio Condoto, and this is a tributary to Rio San Juan.

My personal experience is that the fish is to be found in many rivers out there, not only in Rio San Juan, but also tributaries to Rio Atrato. I collect the fish in a little river along the road to Tado, but also around near Istmina and along the Pan American "Highway" from the village Panamericana (Las Animas) and also in a small river called Rio Tirado. This river was a tributary to Rio Quito which ended into Rio Atrato.

The fish grow to about 10 to 12 cm. in total lentgh. My biggest male was about 10 cm. The female is a little smaller. The color is not so easy to explain, so I hope the photos will give you the impression of the fish. When they spawn, the female becomes nearly black. But if you have seen adult fish, you will easily recognise the fish, away from other Aequidens.

In my aquarium the fish use a flat piece of stone to spawn on, but I've also had fish spawning on a broad leaf from a Swordplant. I've not tried to put dry oakleaves in the aquarium to see if they would spawn on the leaves like the Bujurquina. 


Left photo shows a male with fry. The right photo is a newly collected fish in his daily colors.


A pair with Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus in spawning mode colors. Photos A. Stalsberg

 

This fish was first described by Kner & Steindachner as Acara coeruleopunctatus, and have later been described by several scientist as Pellegrin 1904, Regan in 1905, Meek & Hildebrand in 1919 and again by Regan in 1913 as Cichlosoma (Æquidens) coeruleopunctatus and as Aequidens coeruleopunctatus, Eigenmann 1913.

This fish has also been described under different names. So it's plenty scientific material about this fish. Typelocality was Rio Chagres in the Canal Zonen in Panama. But I'm not certain in which part of the river. Rio Chagres start up in the mountains and end into Lago Alajuela, from there it ends into Lago Gatun near Gamboa. And on the other side of Lago Gatun close to the Locks by Gatun, the river there is also called Rio Chagres. But since I was in Panama a month in February 1996 and collect Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus many places, it was almost all over. We found the fish everywhere in the Canal Zone, and also in every river we was collecting on our way down to Yaviza and all the rivers around Yaviza, like Rio Chucunaque, Rio Tupisa a tributarie to Rio Chucunaque, in Rio Chico and in small streams. We found it in nearly every river up to the border to Costa Rica.

But we did not find it on the other side of the mountains on the Atlantic Slope in Boca del Toro in Rio Guarumo. When I was study the fish in the water, I could not see any differences in the fish from Yaviza and around David. The only thing was that the fish from close to the Costa Rico border had better color. So I brought back new blood.

  There is something else too that puzzle me, a fish they I have been keeping for several years, and that we call it Andinoacara (Aequidens) sapayensis. I got the fish from a friend in Denmark and he got the fish from Germany, and they called it Andinoacara (Aequidens) sapayensis. The name comes from the Rio Sapayo in north west Ecuador a tributary to Rio Cayapes. So far I have not been in this river, but I will. But back to what puzzles me, is that the fish we call Andinoacara (Aequidens) coeruleopunctatus, reminds me of a fish that we call Aequidens sapayensis. But since I had not collect the fish myself, I was not certain where the fish came from. So the material that I collect in Panama have been sent to Nat. Hist. Museum in Stockholm to Dr Kullander, so we must wait until Dr Kullander have time to check the fish.og så må vi nok bare vente til Dr Kullander har tid til å sjekke fisken.Andinoacara (Aequidens) coerulepunctatus is a easy fish to keep and breed, so I can highly recommend the fish.

Aequidens epae. Kullander, 1995.

A male Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg

 This Aequidens belong to our newer fish. I know that Rainer Stawikowski collect the fish in Brazil in Rio Tapajòs in 1992, so the fish was in the collection at the Museum for not so long before it was described by Dr. Kullander in August 1995 and the paper was published in "Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters" Volum 6 no. 2.

He described three species and the other two was Aequidens gerciliae, Aequidens epae and Aequidens michaeli. Aequidens michaeli is here on my website already, because I got the fish in 1990. But Aequidens epae was new to me, and probably for you too.

A female of Aequidens epae. Photo A. Stalsberg

I got the fish from a good friend of mine, namely Ingomar Kranz in Germany. When I got the fish it look like many of the Aequidens when they are small. dull color or rather grey, but like many of the fish they become very nice fish when they grew up. I think that I will not try to describe the color when the fish grew up or is about to spawn. I think it's better you look at the photos and make up you own opinion, but in my eyes they look great.

The biggest fish is a male and my three male is about the same size, the female is smaller. The fish is easy to keep, a temperature around 26 degrees Celsius, pH around 7 or a little lower. The hardness on the water is no problem as long as you avoid exstremes, my water is around 2 dH. I feed the fry with newly hatched Artemia, and a good water quality is also important, and that goes for all fish, and is easily done by changing water. The fish comes from Brazil and from the Rio Tapajòs river system. Well then it should not be much more to tell ... and if you have experience in keeping cichlids from the Genus Aequidens, you should not have any problem with this fish. The problem is to get the fish.

"Aequidens" sp. Choco

Photo A. Stalsberg

A half grown Aequidens sp. Choco collected out in the Choco province in Colombia. This fish can also remind me of the Aequidens coeruleopunctatus, from Panama.

 

Photo A. Stalsberg

This is an adult female of "Aequidens" sp. who was collected out in the Choco province in Colombia. The photo of the fish was taken in one of my aquariums when she was guarding egg. Photos does many times not give the fish full credit to the fish, but I hope you it gives you an idea of the fish. This fish is also placed in Aequidens pulcher-group. I hope that in the near future that all Aequidens will get a name, or a new genus. But in the meantime we can keep and enjoy the fish in our aquarium.

Aequidens metae, Eigenmann, 1922.

Photo A. Stalsberg.

This is an old favorite in the hobby, it's easy to keep, easy to breed, and eat almost every thing you give him, it's also very tolerant when it comes to the water. This fish was first described in 1922 by Eigenmann and was collected in Colombia i Rio Meta riversystem, this have given the fish it's name. The type locality is Barrigon in Cano Carnicera and Cumaral.

Other known places is near Villavicencio and Puerto Gaitàn. The distribution to this fish is bigger than they thought in the begining, so you will find the fish in slightly differ colors etc. The holotype that Eigenmann described was 155 mm. and the paratype was 168 mm., but I've had bigger fish than that. But many fish grow bigger in aquarium, they usually get food every day, and no predators.

They can eat and enjoy themself in the aquarium. People who does not know the fish, will easily think of Aequidens tetramerus when they see Aequidens metae, and there is not that big difference between thes fishes, especially when the are smaller. If you wish to read Eigenmanns description there is a lot of information to get. You just have to visit the Library and ask if they can get you 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,1922.

Aequidens michaeli, Kullander 1995.

 Photo A. Stalsberg

This fish was described not so "long" ago, but I kept the fish long before it was described and we used name as Aequidens sp. "Rio Xingu". The fish was brought to Europe from Brazil in 1988 by Bernd Kilian, Ulrich Schlieven and Rainer Stawikowski. They had collect the fish in Rio Xingu, near Altamira. So that's why the fish was called Aequidens sp. "Rio Xingu" in the begining.

I got some small fry from my friend Rainer Stawikowski in 1990, if I recall right. The fry were eating good and grew up to some really nice fish as you can see in the photos. It took some time before they as adult decide to spawn, but in the end they did. They are not difficult when it comes to the food, they eat whatever you give them, and that goes for most of the Aequidens.

Aequidens pallidus, (Heckel, 1840)

Photo A. Stalsberg

Aequidens pallidus is not well known, and when I got them for the first time I thought it was Aequidens metae. I was checking different books and magazines that I had and they said this was Aequidens duopunctata. But I was not agree in this, because the photos showed another fish. They grew up and was more than 15 cm, two of the photos shows the first fish I had. They was changing colors after the mood they was in, and looking at the photos they can differs a lot. The fish is a substrat spawner, that means they spawn on a small stone, or on a bogwood or if they find another material they will use. In older litterature they say that the fish is a delayed mouth brooder, but I did not get any confirmation on that the fish was larvophil when I had the fish. I spent a lot of time in my aquarium room and I think I would have seen it if they was larvophile. But I did not see any indication that they was delayed mouth brooders. So I meant I should keep a better eye on the fish when they was about to spawn, but they did not do that.

So it took many years before I saw the fish again. I got some small fry from my friend Rainer Stawikowski. But when I visit an importer in Sweden and when I look thru all his tanks, I came to some large tanks with several thousand Paracheirodon axelrodi. or we call it Cardinal neon. Among all these Paracheirodon axelrodi there were som small cichlids. I asked where the Cardinal neon came from, was it Colobia or was it Brazil?? He said that the Cardinals was coming from Brazil, and I asked him if I could buy these small cichlids.?? He said yes. When I came home and put the fish in a tank, I could see that it was an Aequidens, but nothing more,they was too small. Well it was just to feed the fish well and wait until they grow up. And today the biggest fish is around 13 cm., and I'm the owner of Aequidens pallidus again.

So now I just have to be patient and hope the will pair out and lay eggs. I don't know where in Brazil thes fish are coming from, but in the literature they say that the fish comes from the lower and middle of Rio Negro, Rio Preto da Eva, Rio Urubu and other tributaries belonging to the Rio Negro water system. The fish is not difficult to keep and it eat most of what you are given them. Earthworms is snack and it will eat huge amont, and will in the end lay on the bottom and gasp. Temperature between 25 -30 *C., is good, I've kept the fish with plants too, large Amazon Sword plants Crinum thaianum Giant Vallisnera and Microsorium.

The fish I have now is a little different in colors, and I will take new photos to compare with the old ones. As I said earlier the fish could change a lot in the colors, you will see that from the photos. The fish I have now does not change so much in the colors, but it's a beautiful fish.

 

Aequidens patricki, Kullander 1984.

A. patricki female. A. patricki male.

Female with egg.

Aequidens patricki is one of the really nice Aequidens, and it has very nice colors. But ask me why I keep these small "grey" fish??

The color is not everything when you keep fish, but if it has nice colors, then this is not a minus, and Aequidens patricki is surch a fish.

A. patricki comes from Peru in Rio Aguaytia and Rio Pachitea and was described in 1984. When I read the description with photos ( I got a copy from Dr. Kullander) I thought that it would go a long time before this fish would swim in my aquarium, but I got the first fish from a German fish friend and then quicker than expected.

The fish grow to a size around 11 cm. for the female and about 15 cm. for the male. This fish could be a little bit more aggressive than many other Aequidens, special against congeners. But that was no problem, but the tank need to be at least 150 liter or bigger, and a lot of bogwoods and rocks to make hidingplaces for the fish that will be chased, then you can keep several fish together. The fish is rather tolerant when it comes to the water, but a pH around 7 or lower is good. The dH can be 0 or up.

Krobia potaroensis, Eigenmann 1912

A young Krobia potaroensis in the photo tank after we collect it.

Photo A. Stalsberg.

Krobia potaroensis in the aquarium and it's now around 15 cm.

Photo A. Stalsberg

Krobia (Aequidens) potaroensis is not a common fish in you local fish shop and neither in the hobby too, I'm not sure I had had the fish, if I did not go to Guyana to collect the fish, it's not a common in the shop or in the hobby. It was up in Kamarang in a small tributary to Rio Mazaruni and the name at the small river was Kanawee Creek. As you probably can see from the photos, if you enlarge them it that the water is rather clear, but it was rather chilli, but if you had this temperature back home, you would probably say that the water was good, but here in south america it was rather cold, when it's about 21,7 degrees celsius. When I had been in the water for about a hour, I had to get up and get warm, because I was shaking. pH was 6,5 and the dH was 2 and kH was 1.

Andinoacara pulcher (Gill 1858).

Aequidens pulcher of uknown origin .

Foto A. Stalsberg

"Aequidens" pulcher ( Gill 1858 ) is one of the oldest known"Aequidens". This have been one of the cichlids that many aquarist have started with, when they start with cichlids. And many still keep this fish. Or they do like me, after awhile I buy them again, because they are nice fish.

The fish was described by Gill in 1858 and it was not described as Aequidens, but as Cychlasoma pulchrum from western part of Trinidad. Later, many other have also described the fish, and in the end it ended up as "Aequidens" pulcher. And it's placed in the "Aequidens" pulcher group with several other, "A". biseriatus (Regan 1913), "A". coeruleopunctatus (Kner & Steindachner), "A". rivulata, Günther 1859 and"A". sapayensis (Regan, 1903).

It is obvisily for many of us that we are talking about more than one specie. But so far I don't know of any scientist working with these fish. So we must so far keep the different fish appart from each other so we are not getting bastards.

Just before I collect the Blue Acara.

Here I have the Blue Acara in the bag.

The true Blue Acara fromTrinidad.

Water samples from the biotope.

ph dH kH Nitrit Microsiemens Water temp. Airt temp.
7,5 4 7 < 0,1 270 25°C 31°C

I went to Trinidad to try to collect the true Andinoacara (Aequidens) pulcher, we was driving east on the Eastern Highway fom Port of Spain and the first biotope was just before Aripa. We collect Guppies, Andinoacara (Aequidens) pulcher, Tetra, Brycon or was it an Astyanax type, Ancistrus sp., Hypostomus sp.? and Pimelodella/Rhamdia sp. The water samples you see above.

This fish was sold as Blue Acara, but it's more brown than blue, but I don't know the origin of this fish.

This little river is a tributary to Rio Cauca and the name is Quebrada Aurra. We passed this river on our way to Choco. In this river we collected small fish as we in the beginning thought Aeuidens latifrons.

We collect what we thought was in the beginning was Blue Acara?? But later we came to the conclusion that this was Andinoacara (Aequidens) latifrons.

This fish was collect in Rio Cauca, and we thought this should be Andinoacara (Aequidens) latifrons??

Foto: Rainer Stawikowski.

This fish was collected higher up in Rio Cauca near the City Cali. Rainer Stawikowski says that this is probably Andinoacara (Aequidens) latifrons.

Where this fish was collected I'm not certain, but it came in on a shipment from Colombia.

  My favorite possition in a small river just before Tutenendo in Choco.

 This is the fish I did collect in the small river, just before Tutenendo on our way to Choco, and we call it Aequidens sp. Choco.

 

This is a female of the one we collect out in Choco, watching egg in the aquarium.

Aequidens rondoni

 

"Aequidens" sapayensis (Regan, 1903)

 

A large male of Andinoacara ("Aequidens") sapayensis.

Foto A. Stalsberg.

I got this Andinoacara ("Aequidens") sapayensis from my good friend in Copenhagen, F. Ingemann Hansen early in the seventies, and he had got the fish from Germany. The fish had come from a tributary to Rio Cayapas with the name Rio Sapayo. I don't have a map that is so detailed that I find it on my map, but it should be close to Rio Santiago on the west coast of Ecuador close to the city San Lorenzo. I did not have time to check this out in 2003 and to go out to San Lorenzo, to find the river Rio Sapayo,but I'm quite sure I'm going to Ecuador again, in a combination to visit another country.

Female of Andinoacara("Aequidens") sapayensis with eggs.

Photo A. Stalsberg.

This fish might belong to what we called "Aequidens"- pulcher-group, and can remain a little about "Ae. sp. "Choco" or Andinoacara latifrons, but you can also compare it with Andinoacara ("Aequidens") coeruleopunctatus. The fish is easy to keep and is also easy to breed, but I've not seen the fish for a long time. So we have to find the fish again and find out if the name is valid or what. So I guess I need to go to Ecuador again.

The fish on the photo below here was also sold as Blue Acara, but as you can see the fish is not much blue, but brown. No one remember where this fish came from?? Now the fish is around 10 cm. and have layed egg. This fish reminds me of a fish we called Aequidens sapayensis in the seventies (look at the photo above) I will keep a close watch on the fish, but it's several things to be sorted out, so I guess Ecuador here I come. I need to find Rio Sapayo and see if the fish is there.

 

Female of what that might be Andinoacara ("Aequidens ") sapayensis??

Photo A. Stalsberg

Here is a photo of a female that we believe could be Andinoacara (" Aequidens") sapayensis. Compare this photo with the other female higher up on this page. I am at least not quite but very near to believe that this fish could be the same fish. It's very frustrating to have a fish and not knowing where the origin is.

Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo".

We call this fish Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo" and they say this fish comes from Lago Maracaibo in Venezuela. I was in the Lago Maracaibo the first time in 1965 and had a swim near a place called Puerto Mirranda. The water was very turbid and suddenly I felt something was picking at my toes!! I walked backwards up to the shore and there where the water was very low so I could see what it was, it was a fish (cichlid) that was picking at my toes. This could possible be the fish on the photo, but I had nothing to collect with, so it's just guessing about what kind of fish it was, so I guess I have to go back to what it was. But it's a nice fish,right??

Aequidens sp. "Maracaibo"male.

Photo A. Stalsberg

Aequidens tetramerus, (Heckel 1840)

Quisto Cocha type.

Photo A. Stalsberg

Aequidens tetramerus (Heckel 1840) is one of the bigger Aequidens. It can at least grow up to 20 cm. Males has a longer dorsal and anal fins and also a little bit stronger color. The fish has a reputation to be a little quarrelsome, but my own experience with this fish does not confirm that. Not more than other, it is a cichlid.

You can't place this fish in a 50 liter tank with several fish together, then you ask for trouble, you can't expect they will behave nice in a crowded tank.

The fish has a large distribution, it goes from Peru in west thru Ecuador,Brazil, Colombia and to Guyana in East. I will show you some photos of the different Aequidens tetramerus. The first photo is of a A. tetramerus from Peru given to me from Dr. Kullander in 1983, he had collect the fish in a Lake near Iquitos with the name Quisto Cocha. He said then that the fish was Aequidens uniocellatus. Later he said that the fish was a synonym to Aequidens tetramerus.

The next one is also an Aequidens tetramerus from Peru. Origiale I had two A. tetramerus from two different biotopes in Peru, but I have just one now and I'm not certain if this one comes from Rio Ucayali or from 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.

Aequidens diadema (Heckel 1840).

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.

Aequidens tubicen, Kullander & Ferreira 1990.

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.

Ae. sp."Rio Atabapo"

Photo A. Stalsberg.

Here we are going up Rio Inirida to visit some of the lower tributaries 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 biotopE 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 coming 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 going to Colombia for the moment. I hope it will cool down so I can go to this lovely country again.

Aequidens sp. "Jenaro Herrera".

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.

DISCLAIMER: Statements made on this page are not herewith made available for purpose of zoological nomenclature under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

You can reach me by e-mail at: alf.stalsberg@c2i.net

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