Seven stripe cichlid - Archocentrus septemfasciatus

Food and feeding
This fish will accept all foods offered. Use a quality flake or pellets for the staple diet but include treats of live or frozen foods twice a week. Blood worms and brine shrimp are ideal for this. To supply all other nutrients required add some spirulina or vegetable matter to the diet.

Origin
Central America; they are to be found in the waterways of Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.

Sexing
Matures males will be larger and more brightly coloured than the females. Mature females will display a dark spot on their dorsal fin.

Breeding
Add artificial caves to the breeding tank as these fish are secretive cave spawners. The female will deposit the eggs at the top of the cave and tend them while the male defends the territory. The eggs should hatch after 48 hours and a few days later the female will allow the fry out once they are free swimming. At this stage they can be fed on newly hatched brine shrimp.

Lifespan
The expected life span for this fish is 2-5 years.

Short description
Although this fish can settle in a wide range of water parameters, good filtration must be provided with regular water changes. Add rocks or bogwood to the tank to provide hiding places and id any live plants are in the tank, they will probably be uprooted.

Pictures
Bought by aqua-fish.net from jjphoto.dk.