Publication2 med aquascape Publication1cs complete | Page 200

A dorsal pointed edge will develop in males, also
I have noted when fish are sexually active, males
eyes are blue while females develop yellow; this
is present in all populations I have kept.
V. melanura are substrate spawners, but will also
use caves such as flowerpots. The spawning pro-
cess is no different from other Central American
cichlids; bi parental care is expected with the fry
becoming free swimming in around 8 days. Pa-
rental squabbling was observed in my aquarium
to a point where both fish were separated for
their safety; this behaviour seemed to be more
frequent when the male became mature. Howev-
er, there are many positive reports of pairs living
and spawning in harmony, I guess it’s a matter of
weighing the pros and cons.
In a community setup, V. melanura can have di-
verse behaviour patterns. I have kept both placid
and very aggressive fish. Like many centrals it will
always be better to buy fish from juveniles; this .
Male
Female
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