Festivum Cichlid (Mesonauta festivus) Care Guide
A peaceful South American cichlid with a distinctive diagonal black stripe from mouth to dorsal fin, giving it a flag-like appearance.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Mesonauta festivus is a species in the family Cichlidae. A peaceful South American cichlid with a distinctive diagonal black stripe from mouth to dorsal fin, giving it a flag-like appearance. Gets along well in community tanks with similarly sized peaceful fish. Prefers heavily planted tanks with driftwood.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Mesonauta
- Scientific name: Mesonauta festivus
- Other names: Flag Cichlid, Festive Cichlid
- Origin: South America
Habitat
Widely distributed across the Amazon basin and adjacent drainages of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, with a separate population in the Río Paraguay. Inhabits slow backwaters and flooded forest pools with dense vegetation; often co-occurs with angelfish.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C
- pH: 6-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Adult size: 12-15 cm
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
- Difficulty: intermediate
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: peaceful
- Swimming level: middle
- Compatible tank mates: Angelfish, Severum, Corydoras, Large Tetras
- Avoid with: Aggressive Cichlids, Small Fish
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: substrate-spawner
- Breeding difficulty: intermediate
Festivum Cichlid Breeding Guide
Overview
The festivum cichlid (Mesonauta festivus) is a peaceful South American cichlid reaching about 12 cm standard length, found across river basins in Brazil, Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia. It is an open, substrate spawner that forms a bonded pair and practises biparental care of eggs and young.
Sexing
Males are larger and develop longer extensions to the dorsal and anal fins than females. Outside of breeding condition the sexes are otherwise similar, so finning is the most reliable cue.
Conditioning
Самый надёжный способ получить пару — вырастить группу и дать паре сформироваться, поскольку вне нерестового состояния полы в остальном схожи. Готовьте взрослых на разнообразном рационе, чтобы самка наполнилась икрой, а пара выбрала и очистила место нереста. Как мирный вид, предпочитающий густо засаженные аквариумы с корягами, пара лучше всего обустраивается, когда есть укрытия и стабильные условия перед нерестом.
Breeding Setup
Обеспечьте плоский камень или подобную поверхность для откладки икры в тихом, хорошо засаженном аквариуме с корягами. Виду подходит мягкая, слегка кислая вода с температурой около 24-28 C (примерно 76-82 F), pH около 6,5 и жёсткостью примерно до 5 градусов H. Важно спокойное, малопосещаемое место, так как родители легко пугаются и могут бросить или съесть кладку при беспокойстве.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Once the breeding site is prepared, the female deposits the eggs and the male fertilises them; in excess of 200 eggs may be laid. Both parents then guard the eggs and newly hatched young, moving the fry to a pit where the parents keep them until they become free-swimming.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch in about two to three days, and the fry become free-swimming roughly 3-4 days after hatching. They can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp and powdered fry foods until large enough to take bigger foods.
Common Challenges
Festivums are easily startled and may eat their brood if disturbed, so quiet, undisturbed conditions are essential. First-time pairs commonly eat early spawns before settling into reliable parenting.