Hoplarchus psittacus is one of the very rarely available large cichlids from South America, which is called “Acara paragua” – parrot cichlid – by the indigenous population because of its red breast, which is reminiscent of the colors of some parrots in the Amazon region. Hoplarchus psittacus is the only species of the genus. It comes from the Rio Negro and the upper drainage of the Orinoco (Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela) and can reach a length of up to 40 cm. Most of our imports come from Colombia.
The animals are very quarrelsome with each other if they are not given sufficient individual space. Once they have this, they can be classified as peaceful, at least once the hierarchy has been established. This behavior is known from many large cichlids. The parrot cichlid is an omnivore and therefore vegetarian food should not be missing from the diet.
Unfortunately, the sexes are difficult to distinguish: Females remain smaller, have a flatter forehead and shorter ventral fins. But while dominant males are always easy to recognize, you can unfortunately only be sure about animals that look like females when they are spawning. Weaker males disguise themselves as females, thus avoiding aggression from the boss.
Breeding has only rarely been reported to date, which is probably due to the rare imports and the difficulty in distinguishing the sexes. While the water values for maintenance are of secondary importance, the water for breeding must be soft and acidic. The animals form a parental family. The pair digs a large and deep pit in the ground and spawns on the solid ground. Other breeders report spawning on flat stone slabs. Apparently the species is flexible in this respect or there are different spawning patterns depending on the population. The water temperature for maintenance should be between 24 and 28°C, for breeding 2-3°C more.
This species is relatively susceptible to hole-in-the-head disease and therefore hygiene in the aquarium should be a top priority.
For our customers: the animals have code 683023 (6-8 cm) to 683028 (18-22 cm) on our stock list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank schäfer
