Chocolate Cichlid (Hypselecara temporalis)

Common Name:

Chocolate Cichlid.

Other Names:

Emerald Cichlid, Rio Negro Chocolate Cichlid.

Scientific Name:

Hypselecara temporalis.

Family:

Cichlidae.

Subfamily:

Cichlasomatinae.

Class:

South American.

Distribution:

Amazon River basin, in the Ucayali and Amazon River drainages in Peru, the Amazonas River drainage in Colombia, the Solimoes-Amazon River in Brazil, east to Cametá, also rivers of Amapá, Brazil, and the Oyapock River basin in Brazil.

Size:

12 inches.

Diet:

They prefer live foods, especially insects, their larvae and small crustaceans and may be difficult to acclimate to any sort of prepared foods.

Water Temperature:

77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (25-30 degrees Celsius).

Water Chemistry:

They need frequent water changes to remain in top condition. They also do best when kept in the acidic range of the pHs in which they are kept (they can be kept in pHs from 5-7.5) and in the very soft to soft range of the hardness scale (will live in waters with dH 0.3 to 20.0).

pH:

5.0-7.5 (acidic conditions are better for breeding).

Lifespan:

Probably about a decade.

Description:

These large mustard-coloured, red-bellied and red-throated eggs of fish have surprisingly small mouths. The area near the gill covering is likewise red. The fins have both of the aforementioned colours in a ratio akin to how a hot dog should be topped: all red with small spots of mustard. The eyes are either somewhat golden or quite red (or some color along that spectrum). The chocolate spot appears in the midsection (but smaller blotches appear near the caudal peduncle).

Behaviour:

These are large yet peaceful, except when it comes to conspecifics.

Chocolate Cichlids have a well-deserved reputation for shyness, but dither fishes can help bring them out to see their owners, as can some colouring of the water and the aquarist's provision of lots of cover.

Sexing:

Older males have a nuchal hump. Younger males are not easily told from females and the "pairing off" method for getting pairs of H. temporalis needs to be employed if a pair is desired before the male gets old enough to show a nuchal hump.

Breeding:

Though it is difficult to get Hypselecara adults to feel ready to breed, they make up for that by being incredibly fecund. Up to 1000 eggs may be laid on vertical surfaces (especially flat ones). Once the fry hatch, the parents may bring them to some sort of cave-like structure so that they are easier to protect. The fry will appreciate feedings of baby brine shrimp and/or rotifers.

Adult pairs are often poor parents during their first attempt but will become increasingly better at rearing their progeny as their experience also increases.

In the wild, pairs will split after spawning season. In aquaria, they may fight during "dry spells" if not separated.

Minimum recommended tank size :

55 gallons tanks would be the bare minimum for tank size for this fish.

Natural Conditions

They live in slow flowing waters with low visibility.

Miscellaneous:

It's hard to find a theme for the myriad of names given to the Chocolate Cichlid.

FishBase and MongaBay provided several important facts for this article.

Photo Credit:

Photos supplied courtesy and ^©Solace.