Identification Anybody

[JasonandJill]

Can anybody tell me what this type is please. I saw him, thought he looked great and was told he'd fit in with the others in my tank. He didn't have a "common" name as such and I can't remember what his rather "unusual" name is. DOH!!
Thanks
Jas

 

[Wills]

Its a Satanoperca of some kind, one of the eartheater types I would guess its Satanoperca Leucostica. Very nice fish but quite delicate, he will also need a sand substrate as he gets bigger as they will sift the sand through their gills all day long and if the gravel is too big it can damage their mouths but if its not quite small enough it gets stuck in their gills which causes quite a lot of issues.

Whats your set up like at the moment, tank size, tank mates, how long has it been up and running?

Wills

 

[Biddles95]

i dont really know what that is.. all i can say is that it is a type of cichlid and most probablt will grow BIG ! what size tank do you have and what fish are in it ?

Billy

 

[JasonandJill]

Thanks for that, The tank is 300l and has 2 bara sharks, a synodontis, 2 angel fish and 2 albino frogs. It's only been running a couple of months but set up using mature media and tank water from changes in my smaller tank. Guess a substrate change is in order, we've noticed him/her sifting them.

 

[Wills]

Ah fantastic! Much better outcome than I was hoping for Really worried it was going to be a small tank but yeah that is a fantastic set up once the sand is in.

Also have a think about getting him some friends these species do really well in groups and 300 liters is a good size for a group of these

A few notes on the stocking you have at present with this species though, the Bala Sharks will eventually outgrow your tank they are a truly massive fish and very very active - ideal tank size for these would be in the region of 8 foot long by 3 foot wide, however there are a hand full of tanks this size available so your tank will be an okay home for them but they are very active and they could scare the Satanopercas quite a bit as Satanopercas are quite a calm chilled out fish.

Also the albino frogs - these are actually really predatory creatures and as they grow you could find any small or young fish start to disappear quite quickly. They are not best kept with fish for this reason. There is a member on here called Jeneste who has loads of these frogs maybe try and send her a message and see what she can chip in about their care.

Ive just got my self a Satanoperca Daemon and he has quickly become one of my favorite fish they are really slow growing but you will see serious growth after a year

Wills

 

[JasonandJill]

Thanks for the advice Wills. We Got the 2 sharks after being told they wouldn't get much bigger. The largest is almost 5 inches. We were going to get a 3rd but as it happened the shop we went to had a "rather large" one in it's tank. at first we thought it was "like ours but a much bigger version".
The frogs we were thinking would be fine with larger fish? Nothing in the tank will be smaller than a fully grown frog and we don't intend breeding.
Would 3 Satanoperca feel comfortable with the sharks or is safety in numbers not an issue? One last thing, would covering half the tank floor or a certain area with sand be sufficient or will they still sift the gravel area?
Thanks again Wills
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[star4]

I agree with wills more likely the Satanoperca Leucostica rather than the Jurupari although quite hard to tell when young, the Jurupari has lines on its face rather than spots. You will need to change substate to small very smooth gravel or sand.

 

[JasonandJill]

So when I originally decided to put sand in the tank, why didn't i stick to my decision. I guess shopping after a late night out is never a good idea.....when sand is 10 miles away and pea gravel within walking distance!!!!

 

[Wills]

It is kind of true with the frog but they can still try and attack and take down larger fish and the frogs will grow quicker than the satanopercas as well which is kind of the issue.

Bala sharks are one of the most commonly mis sold species of fish in the hobby so you are not alone. But no their adult sizes range from 12-16 inches and due to their shoaling and high active nature thats when the tank size becomes an issue.

I would go for the sand all over the tank and take the gravel out as it only needs to be one piece of gravel that gets stuck. A little secret use Argos playsand, its £3 per bag and 2 bags should do you in there just give it a good wash in a bucket before putting it in the tank.

Wills

 

[minxfishy]

S. Leucostica as both Wills and Star4 have said, a group of 3 is ok, 4 would be better, they are fairly slow growing and should max out around 8", sand all over (or very fine gravel) is needed as there have been instances of Satanoperca and Geophagus species getting large gravel stuck in their gills whilst sifting.

@Wills, when did you get the S.Daemon? Piccies please

 

[Wills]

@Wills, when did you get the S.Daemon? Piccies please

tee hee hes my secret fish at the moment I swapped my leopoldi angels for him on Friday as they were causing a fair few issues. Ill get pics a bit later

 

[JasonandJill]

Thanks for the help everybody. 3 bags for the price of 2 at the moment. Bargain, though I wish I could have parked my truck closer to the store. Carrying 45kg in 3 squirmy bags for 400 yards isn't fun!!!!