Ameca Splendeds- Nippy?

[Mikaila31]

I picked up an adult male and 2 juvies at an auction recently. So far they are doing good, but is it normal for them to be so nippy? I already moved the two juvies from my 55gallon to a 20 gallon full of endlers because they were doing a number on my boesemani rainbows tails. I'm close to moving the male as he is starting to do the same now...

 

[chrissfishes]

Yep, It is normal for Ameca's and most if not all Goodeids to be nippy.

 

[nmonks]

I'm not sure most goodeids are nippy, but certainly Ameca splendens and Xenotoca eiseni are fin-nippers, and since these are the only two commercially traded in large numbers, they have given the family and bad reputation.

Still, both these species can be kept in mixed species set-ups; you just have to choose tankmates carefully. Many loaches, for example, can work well, enjoying the same cool water conditions whilst being feisty and belligerent in their own right.

Cheers, Neale

Yep, It is normal for Ameca's and most if not all Goodeids to be nippy.

 

[OldMan47]

I have no trouble at all with my Ameca tank. It is maintained as a single species tank because those fish need a home and they are extinct in the wild. The single species tank means that the fish in it are not nippy at all. It turns out that Amecas are not prone to showing con-specific aggression but are prone to showing inter-specific aggression. You can't even keep a cory with them without it getting harassed. The X. eiseni are another story. I keep those in a tank and include some cories for bottom cleaning with no real troubles. AS N Monks has said, most of the remaining goodeids that I keep are relatively peaceful fish. I have C. encaustus in with a male molly, some cories and some nice bristlenose plecs and I have kept X. resolanae with things like ghost shrimp with no obvious problems, except there were no shrimp fry in the tank ever. My most common approach is to reserve each tank for a single livebearer species though. I actually have two tanks with nezzy swordtails in them because they come from different sources. Source information is important for wild type fish and I have no intent of allowing them to mix.

 

[nmonks]

The interesting thing with Ameca splendens is that over the generations since about 1970 when they were initially collected, captive specimens have become steadily more aggressive amongst themselves, what's called intraspecific aggression. Males spend demonstrably more time fighting and less time feeding that males in the wild do. Researchers believe this is because of differences in population density when aquaria are compared to the wild. This means that the Ameca splendens in captivity are likely genetically different to the species in the wild, and introducing tank-bred specimens into the wild won't be possible. Whilst its worthwhile maintaining the species as an aquarium fish, pet Ameca splendens don't really do much to help the species survive in the wild.

My own Ameca splendens live in a 180-litre aquarium with some dwarf Synodontis, a Panaque, a cherry-fin loach, a Garra, and two Ctenolucius hujeta. The Ctenolucius hujeta do get nipped now and again, but they eat all the fry too, which is a good thing! I have far too many of them already.

Ameca splendens also work rather well with South American puffers.

Cheers, Neale

I have no trouble at all with my Ameca tank. It is maintained as a single species tank because those fish need a home and they are extinct in the wild. The single species tank means that the fish in it are not nippy at all. It turns out that Amecas are not prone to showing con-specific aggression but are prone to showing inter-specific aggression.

 

[Mikaila31]

I think I will just let them do whatever in the 20 gallon for now. My endlers are pretty inbred since I don't really want them anymore and can never catch all them in the well planted tank . I cull most those fry and give them to my rainbows. Only fish I need to move from that tank are a group of vietnamese white clouds I got at the same time as the amecas they seem to be getting nipped. But that wasn't going to be their permanent tank regardless. I also got 4 Lima vittata at the auction which seem to safe with the amecas, since they are not getting nipped yet... I've already got at least 2 fry from that species. I'm pretty positive those 3 species of livebearers can't interbreed.

There has been a big increase in 'rare livebearers' within the Minnesota Aquarium Society. Our last auction was pretty small... lasting only about 6 hours instead of 8. What I remember seeing there though are Lima Vittata, Ameca Splended, Heterandria formosa, and Xiphophorus Alvarezi. Kinda wanted some of the other ones, but they didn't go as cheap. I was suppose to be reducing fish numbers, but alas... it did not work .

 

[OldMan47]

Well, I don't have those limias but the rest of the livebearers are common in my tanks. We must see much of the same things at auctions since you are probably less than 500 miles away. People do travel a fair distance to attend a good auction. I go to my own but also to the one in Peoria and the one in Indianapolis. The Indy club has a fair number of specialty livebearer people attend. I am one of the main suppliers of variety at Peoria.