Dicrossus filamentosus

Ranges through Colombia and Venezuela, from the Rio Inírida to Maripa and in the Rio Orinoco. It's also found in parts of the Brazilian Rio Negro.

Ranges through Colombia and Venezuela, from the Rio Inírida to Maripa and in the Rio Orinoco. It's also found in parts of the Brazilian Rio Negro.

60 ∗ 30 ∗ 38 cm24 ∗ 12 ∗ 15 in - ~68 litres~18 US gal

Checkerboard Cichlids are very shy fish, often "hugging" the bottom of the tank amongst plants and scattered leaves. Provide a well planted aquarium with a great number of hiding places. Floating plants are also an excellent option. Dim lighting is recommended.

Temperature: Higher temperatures - 81 to 86°f (27 to 30°c)

pH: Can tolerate upto 7, but much more acidic is required to breed D. filamentosus - 4.5 to 5.8.

Hardness: Again, can tolerate moderately hard water but will only thrive and breed with very little hardness (1°dH or lower recommended).

Checkerboards will probably accept dry foods, especially sinking cichlid pellets. If that is the case, feed a good quality sinking pellet as staple. Vary their diet with vegetarian or spirulina flakes and plenty of frozen foods. To bring Checkerboards into breeding condition, live foods are highly recommended - a daphnia culture is great for this purpose.

Relatively peaceful cichlids, will struggle against more aggressive tankmates. Fine in a community with other peaceful fish.

Males are slightly larger and possess a highly attractive "lyretailed" caudal fin. Females are smaller with less colour, possessing merely a rounded caudal.

Dicrossus filamentosus is relatively easy to breed if you can provide them with premium water conditions. This means very acidic, soft, highly quality water. RO water is nearly mandatory for breeding these fish, unless your tap water is around pH 4.5.

Dicrossus filamentosus was once part of the Crenicara genus, but now shares the Dicrossus genus with D. maculatus. The two species look similar, but D. maculatus lacks the lyretailed caudal fin of D. filamentosus. Some say however, that D. maculatus has even more striking body colouration than the already impressive D. filamentosus.

These fish aren't impossible to find, but aren't readily available in local fish shops either. They are seen as a challenge to breed, but plenty of breeders have had success. The problem seems to lie in the eggs hatching - reports maintain that they will not hatch below pH 5.8.