Laetacara curviceps

[benny]

Hi guys,

Anyone seen or kept these dwarf cichlids? I bought some from C328 quite sometime ago but have not seen them for a while already. Understand that it's also called dwarf flag cichlid. A small fish, peaceful, colours are quite subtle. A buget/entry level dwarf cichlid, but finding a female specimen is usually quite dificult.

There is also another one known as Laetacara dorsiger, but I don't think it's so common amongst the LFS here.

Anyone care to share sightings and experience? Thanks.

Cheers,

[Justikanz]

I had them spawning in my tank many years ago. But the eggs dun hatch. Maybe they did but the fry were eaten.

There seems to be little difference between the sexes, at least to the common hobbyists like us.

They are sold under the Chinese name of 'Yang Tou', meaning Goat's Head. No idea at all, why.

They look bluish and silver at the LFS and sometimes even yellow. But many a times, in my tank, they turn black, dark gray, sometimes with a tinge of bright blue and yellow on their sides and fins in a few days' time and will start displaying. I am beginning to wonder which is their true colouration. They are rather plant friendly, seldom dig and spawns on flat horizontal stones/surfaces.

Also, they seem to be not that agressive to other fish. But I would not trust them with anything small enough for them to swollow. Also, they can be agressive, cichlid-style, when spawning...

Not that easy to find nowadays, presumably because of their duller colours... I would love to set up a 2ft tank just for them, if I have the space and am able to find them again...

[mickthefish]

see lots of curviceps at the moment, and i know a few guys with dosigeras, our common name for them is the sheep-head acara,
as you say they are not the easiest fish to sex, but i watch the tank for a while you can usually sort the pairs out better that way,
ive found them fairly easy to breed, but like has been said they can get aggresive when defending their spawning site, as to the water if you keep apisto's thats perfect.
rgds, mick