Uaru's

[dave_oddballs]

hi, looking into uaru cichlids but i have seen a couple/few different ones, i want the rarer ones (probably the most expensive ones)
can any body give me the scientific name of them please!

and possible anywhere or anyone that sells them??

cheers,
Dave


is it Uaru fernandezyepezi? i think it was those i liked best.
also, i read they eat plants, do they eat them a lot, like... will they disappear overnight? or do they just nibble them now and again?
thanks again

Dave

 

[indigoj]

BAS had some in a few weeks back - can't remember if they were still there though.

 

[Bigjakee]

...i read they eat plants, do they eat them a lot...

Lots and lots and lots...

 

[nmonks]

There are two species, Uaru amphiacanthoides and Uaru fernandezyepezi. The first has been in the trade fairly regularly since at least the 80s, the second species is still quite rare. But the bigger stores do get them in, especially those with an accent on oddballs. A quick look on Tropical Fish Finder reveals that Wholesale Tropicals, Maidenhead Aquatics at Peterborough, and Wildwoods should have them in stock.

I've seen the Uaru fernandezyepezi at Wildwoods and they're cracking fish. There's a photo I took of them up at the Fish Channel page on uaru, here:

http/www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aqua...chlid/uaru.aspx

As you can see from the photo, they have lovely colours, and red eyes are amazing. Keith Lambert keeps the Wildwoods specimens in soft water, alongside discus and various L-number catfish. Both species of uaru are finicky fish, so do your homework first. You'll need soft to moderately hard water, an acidic to neutral pH, and very low levels of nitrate. Essentially, you maintain them in a similar way to discus.

Yes, they eat plants. It's their main diet. Forget about keeping them in a planted tank.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jb12288]

There is also a orange color morph of them that is extremely rare and very sensitive to water chemistry. These have only recently been brought into the hobby. I know of one person who breeds them in the US, but his fry seem to get sick easily so he is very hesitant to sell them.

 

[Joller]

i saw a pair in a shop that were huge! probably 9". the were jet black with yellow eyes, awsome fish

 

[simonas]

The ones I had grew very quick and I was amazed at how quick the plants went!!!!!

saying that beautiful fish and I only let mine go as I reduced my tanks but they look even more beautiful the older and bigger they get. I would recmmend them

 

[MBOU]

If they were 9" and jet black then i would wonder what was wrong with them!!

I have a tank of juveniles, they are hilarious black/grey with blue spots and orange eyes though are starting to get their adult colouratio. Love em to bits!

 

[dave_oddballs]

yeah, i wouldn't put them in a planted tank, im thinking when i get the 6 footer for the rays,
would they be ok with rays, if i got decent sized ones? saying that the rays will be young i hope!
obviously i won't have plants with rays as they wouldn't last long anyway!
do they have similar water chemistry to rays? my water comes out of the tap at ph7, will that be ok for them? i don't like really messing with it as it normally causes more bad than good!
i would of got some smaller ones to grow on in my 55g but its full of plants so i will wait!
they had a pair at maidenhead aquatics in blackpool a few months back for £80 each, but they was a good 8-9 inch and im positive they was uaru fernandezyepezi, i might see if they could get some more in when the time comes!
also i was planning an asian arowana in the ray tank, would this be suitable with the uaru's? obviously if i can only find small uaru's i will look for small rays and a smaller arowana so they can grow up together!
thanks,
Dave

 

[nmonks]

Uaru are schooling fish, so I'd plan around keeping a group of 5 or more. They are rather nervous, though this may be less so with tank-bred specimens.

Water chemistry should soft and slightly acidic to neutral. Since biological filtration works less well as pH drops below 7, you want to be careful on this count. I'd aim for a neutral pH but a hardness somewhere on the "soft" to "slightly hard" scale.

In many ways they're a lot like discus, so use that as your guide in terms of behaviour, tankmates, etc. Arowanas would surely be a no-no. Stingrays, depends I suppose on the size of the tank. I usually recommend people concentrate on the stingray, and once they've bought their 300-400 gallon tank and have it running nicely, and have managed to keep the stingray alive for a year, then worry about making life more difficult by adding extra fish.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Bigjakee]

I'd second the response about the nervousness of this fish. VERY shy, but like i said on the other thread when I introduced 4 Angels to the 4 U's I had they immeditely came out of their shell.