Checkerboard cichlid experiences?

Browsing the web for random things, I ran into the dicrossus group of cichlids. Has anyone tried keeping these guys here and had success (or "lessons learned"?)

Dicrossus maculatus (stolen from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.])
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Seems like they love soft acidic water which seems to be compatible with seattle area water.

You can find more information under checkboard cichlids or their old genera, Crenicara.

D. filamentosus is the most common, found with cardinal tetras in the wild. Not quite as colorful as D. maculatus (ime), they do have more irridescence ... almost like a cichlid version of sparkling gouramis. They look great in a leaf litter blackwater tank and are still one of the hardest cichlids to raise fry from.

D. maculatus is a clear water species so a little easier to breed, and larger with more color.

D. foirni is probably my favorite, but extremely hard to find and when it is available, it's mostly males.

Lol, I just seen 4-5 beautiful WC specimens at APFP today. I do not remember what species it was but it was written on the tank...

I like these and probably would have picked them up today if I had the room and cash. In my opinion they look better and have a neat tank attitude when grouped (3+). They remind me of flies (in movement ). I know weird , but they will quickly zip-stop-zip-stop. And when in a group they have a tendency to stick together and do it together...

Very difficult to breed. Can be a bit sensitive. All I'm saying is Kathy Olson has been trying to spawn them for like 15 years now... And she can spawn anything

Lots of really good cichlid breeders have had issues with D. filamentosus so she's in great company.

Never kept them. And I think I've only seen them in person like twice. I like the description of the fly to describe their movements that I read above. Sweet looking fish. May have to go to apfp just to see them

Sounds like I need to make a trip to APFP soon.

MRTom wrote:Sounds like I need to make a trip to APFP soon.

FYI, these where WC specimens @ $16 EA.  Let us know if you get some:) Your probably researching but just thought I would add that they display typical dwarf cichlid personalities but are not aggressive. They usually stay along the substrate in larger tanks but in tanks around 30 gal you may see them venture mid level.

Here's the cichlid-forum link on the Dicrossus filamentosus...very pretty cichlid ... write up seems to indicate that it likes really soft water
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I'm holding off for now till I learn more. The soft water wouldn't be a big problem, my tap is less than 17ppm, but the acidic part would be. I have a pretty consistent 7.2 PH tap. That, and I like to keep my tanks at a temp of 72 or less, so I'd have to build a special setup for them. Still, exciting to find a community cichlid! If I get anything, I'd probably opt for maculatus since they seem to prefer slightly cooler water (78?).

Mr Tom,
The Fish store on Rosevelt had D. Maculatus, The Wet spot has 2 of the 3 species listed above.
I have kept these both without any issues and I'm on a high P.H. well water @ 8.2 reading and
107 g.h.
I use Turface & A.P.I. ph down to get my water back to a more managable reading and it buffers well with this combo too.
Getting D. maculatus females proved to be a challenge and most store clerks had no idea of how to sex them. Lots of batches brought in are all males too.
I have done my homework and always bring a good L.E.D. flashlight with me so I can get the right fish the first time. I have to coaxed the clerk into catching "that one" which I had just spent 10 minutes prior studying before asking for help. Most won't catch what you want as a customer either.

These fish are pretty cool and live for around 5 years. As for P.H. Tom use Turface to stablize your water as it really works well. And also remember the stores and distributers are keeping this fish in the same water "WE" are. They are already adjusted by the time you get one in your tank abyways.
Good luck! Report back

Sweet! Thanks for the info I'm gonna have to look out for them!

I just picked one of these up last night, my first time at APFP actually. Was active within a few minutes of being put in my 90 gallon community tank. I'll try and get a picture up when I get home from work this afternoon. The movement like a fly is about as close to a perfect description as I can think of. I only grabbed one because I was reading that they will do fine alone, if this isn't the case I wouldn't mind heading back and grabbing a couple more, hopfully get a couple females.

Love the D. maculatus "Santarem".

The male.
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Here is the female with 100+ fry.
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Leasureman,
What are your water parameters??? NIce,,, are there any fry available????

Mr. Tom,
Go the "Tom & Martins" Apistogramma website, (they're from Norway) there is A LOT of good stuff on here, including collecting trips they'v been on!
Checker board species are found in very soft, LOW PH in the wild, (so your half way there) but can adjust as a community fish,
BUT as for breeding them,,, they have been found in PH as low as get this,,,,3.9!
I just ordered an Azoo PH kit that goes down to 4.9 off E-bay but don't know if there's one that goes to the 3 range????

leisure_man wrote:D. maculatus "Santarem".
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  - Wow!

well, either leisure man is also on apistogramma.com, or someone else is using his photos... here is the thread where the pic came from; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

and the author mentions his parameters and feeding too.

LuminousAphid wrote:well, either leisure man is also on apistogramma.com, or someone else is using his photos... here is the thread where the pic came from; [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

and the author mentions his parameters and feeding too.

   - Wethumbs, could be. Did you PM and ask? I belong to other forums, Internet question help website (aquatics mainly), and belong to a local aquarium society. I am also a moderator on another local forum. So, it's very possible... Or not -  

Yup, that's me alright. I photoshop my pictures to add the watermark as well as reduced the resolution before posting online. Obviously, it has worked very well in discouraging others from stealing my pics. I did get request for the pictures for non-commercial purposes.

As for the breeding parameters, I have listed them on the other forum. pH 3.9 ?! Not sure if that's a typo. D. maculatus is a 'white-water' species. Its natural habitat has been well documented by European explorers. I remember seeing an underwater video of D. maculatus in their natural habitat.

leisure_man wrote:Yup, that's me alright.  I photoshop my pictures to add the watermark as well as reduced the resolution before posting online.  Obviously, it has worked very well in discouraging others from stealing my pics.  I did get request for the pictures for non-commercial purposes.

As for the breeding parameters, I have listed them on the other forum.  pH 3.9 ?!  Not sure if that's a typo.  D. maculatus is a 'white-water' species.  Its natural habitat has been well documented by European explorers.  I remember seeing an underwater video of D. maculatus in their natural habitat.

  - I knew it the WHOLE time. That other guy, geesh - what nerve, hu? LOL



Wes, I kidding

Here is the video on Dicrossus maculatus.

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