Heroina isonycterina, a rare little "mini-severum" type cichlid from Colombia

[Ryan]

My discus hobby comes and goes. During my "down time" I tend to play around with other South American cichlids. I have always been a huge fan of the acaras and the heroine types -- severums, chocolate cichlids, port cichlids, true parrot cichlids, Aequidens, Uaru, etc. I've kept and bred every kind of severum I can get my hands on. They're one of my very favorite fish. Then, about three years ago, I learned about a relatively unknown and hard-to-find cichlid called Heroina isonycterina, a small severum-like cichlid with a similar genus name that was only formally described in 1996. These little fish are found in Colombia and Ecuador. A group of wild fish was brought back to Europe several years ago and tank-raised fish were occasionally available there. Eventually the line was weakened due to inbreeding and they became scarce again.

After harassing every importer I could find contact info for over the course of three years, two different vendors were able to bring in shipments of these fish from Colombia in May 2012. I purchased a small group from Dan-Ye Jennings at American Cichlids and a second, larger group from Jeff Rapps at Tangled Up In Cichlids.

The fish have an understated beauty to them. They're mostly a tan or copper color with bright red eyes (like pigeon bloods) and beautiful blue iridescence in the fins. The females will sometimes develop a blue face like severums and certain discus do. Both sexes can also develop red lines on their flanks. Males tend to carry small black flecks or dots all over their bodies. They have large folds under their gills which they flare like firemouths or bettas. It's fun to watch them fight and posture.

These are not a demanding little fish. They settled right in for me and began eating everything. I received the fish in late April/early May at 1.5 - 4" in size. By late September they were 5 - 6" and spawning. I now have literally thousands of F1 fry all over my house. Out of my remaining nine adults there are three confirmed pairs.

One thing I noted is that they're very feisty and pushy for their small size. I have seen my 5" pairs attack 12" mouthbrooding severums without thinking twice. They can also be particularly rough on one another at a small size. This actually seemed to improve as they grew and paired off, but as juveniles they spent all day attacking and chasing each other. I would say their attitude is more similar to Australoheros (chanchitos) or Cryptoheros.

Because of their relative scarcity in the hobby and the little information you can find on the web, I decided to share them here.

Two weeks in quarantine, May 2012


http://youtu.be/3oJCjMydX78

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroina/88aa3f5b.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroina/a415f20f.jpg

[Ryan]

Spawning starts, September/October 2012

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0221_zpsd5b943b6.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0222_zps25768e00.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0230_zps259d303f.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0234_zpse0ed46cb.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0226_zps98da0484.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0227_zps68b08f89.jpg


http://youtu.be/ar7COmknyXI

[Ryan]

A pair finally gets it right!


http://youtu.be/L18HC85TP08

[Ryan]

Now I have three tanks with grow-outs, and two pairs with free-swimmers again. I think I may have to let my dwarf pikes have these new free-swimming fry because I have nowhere to put more. :shocked:


http://youtu.be/teZL02dL_Es

[plecocicho]

Interesting little bastards, i didnt know of their existence prior to this week. Loks like another fine cichlid for those who seek more than just coulours in their cichlids.

[Second Hand Pat]

I like these guys but seems they are not a good match with disucs.

[Larry Bugg]

I would love to get some and introduce them into our club here in Atlanta. We have a BAP (breeders award program) so we are always looking for new fish. Would you sell and ship some to me? We are close enough to each other that they should ship well in a priority box with styro.

[Ryan]

They're about 1" now and are about ready for new homes. The only thing I worry about is the cold -- I don't usually ship in the winter. Maybe if I use a small enough box with the heat packs it'll keep the warmth in.

[Discus Origins]

These guys are so cool....settled right in and already attacking the glass for food when someone gets close :)

[Ryan]

Unfortunately I had to cull most of my fry due to fin defects. This has never happened before in any batch of cichlids I've raised, so Al is attempting to help me isolate the problem. I'm trying a multi-level approach that includes boosting the mineral content of the water, filtering with carbon (I've been having weird issues with my tap water for several months now), and switching to higher protein foods for the fry. Maybe between the three changes I will have a better batch.

In the meantime, I did manage to save 14 with no defects from a January spawn. They're just a bit over a month old now and turning out to be cute little carbon copies of their parents. How can you resist those faces?

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroinaF1a_zps1e8e1b8e.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroinaF1b_zpsf8e71f03.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroinaF1c_zpsfa58bfa3.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/heroinaF1d_zps81705f46.jpg


http://youtu.be/rNe5LZw2VrY

Notice in the video that they're already attacking each other constantly -- this is something I've seen in the wild fish since I got them last year and it never stops. They chase and fight all day. Apparently it's a behavior that starts very early. (Sorry for the blurry video; still using my 10 year old Canon camera. Gotta update that soon!)

[Larry Bugg]

Those guys are looking good Ryan. Hope you can get the water issue figured out.

[Ryan]

Fingers crossed, Larry! It's hard to cull two batches of 100+ fry. The first batch was 1", this last one was about 1/2". All that was wrong were the pectoral fins; everything else looked great. But I can't risk sending a bunch of genetically defective fish into the hobby, so I need to make sure it's truly environmental and not genetic. I just got a batch of wrigglers that hatched tonight so I should know in a month or two...

[brewmaster15]

Cute Little Buggers Ryan. You always find these rarities to work with. I am really hoping that we can peg the problem and solve it..I think we are on the right track. Fingers crossed on the most recent batch!

-al

[Ryan]

I should start some threads here on the more rare cichlids I'm working with. There are a few uncommon gems out there, some compatible with discus and some not. As much as I love discus, it's always nice to take a break and try a new challenge.

[Discus Origins]

The fry look great, just like smaller copies of their parents :) It is interesting to read about the fin defects...that's a lot of fry to have the same defect from wild parents, usually never the case with unrelated gene pools. So I'm leaning towards environmental effects, kind of like calcium/magnesium deficiencies with gill plates in discus fry.

[Ryan]

The new batch of wrigglers is in a tank with added calcium/magnesium, so we will see if that improves things. Let's hope it's something that simple.

[Second Hand Pat]

Ryan, I need to bring you some of my water. Hope this works out for you.

[Ryan]

We aren't even that far apart! Why can't our water be the same. lol

[Second Hand Pat]

It should be Ryan but I am on a well.

[Sandy Clay]

They are cute little fish~

[Ryan]

I'm cautiously optimistic that Al's suggestions have worked. The previous batch of fry are about 1/4" long now and their pectoral fins appear normal this time. If all goes well, I can start shipping these guys out in a month or so, just in time for warmer weather.

Another pair has spawned this weekend. Here are a few pictures of mom in breeding dress and dad keeping watch.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0303_zps2f9d3156.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0301_zps810bd593.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0296_zpsd714d36c.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0297_zps95b628e9.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0293_zps42d0b65d.jpg


http://youtu.be/q-XYVNSQp1o

[Larry Bugg]

That is great Ryan. Fingers crossed.

[Ryan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7kMlKPiiaY

Happy little Heroina fry with perfect fins. They'll be ready to go via USPS as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer.

[Ryan]

The Heroina are ready to go at approximately 1". I shipped out a batch of 24 to jonclark96 (Jon) and dogofwar (Matt) from MonsterFishKeepers on Monday and it took them three days to arrive via USPS Priority, but no DOAs and all fish were settled and eating tonight. I'm so proud to be one of the first people to offer F1s of this uncommon little cichlid.

[Second Hand Pat]

Ryan, can a group of six of these guys be placed in a 10 gallon starting out?

[Ryan]

I answered in the other thread, Pat, but I'll put it here too.

At this size you'd probably be okay for a few weeks. You may eventually want to get them into a tank with a larger footprint so they can get away from each other. I raised my 10 out in a 55 gallon until the males got to about 3 - 4", then I moved the males to a larger tank which left me with about 6 fish in a 55. Now I'm down to 2 pairs per 55 which works out alright. Pairs will beat the snot out of other fish when they are protecting free-swimming fry.

[Second Hand Pat]

Oops, sorry Ryan. I posted here and meant to post in your thread and thought I lost a post :(

[Ryan]

The kids are big enough to photograph now. The flash washes them out a bit but you can see the blue iridescence coming in on the fins and the iridescent blue flecks on their bodies. They're also developing a nice red edge along their dorsals. Chunky and feisty, just like mom and dad, and thanks to Al they all have perfect fins. I've only had to cull some stragglers in terms of growth. I've sold about 50 of these guys through ACA and MonsterFishKeepers.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0344_zpsa16ddf84.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0350_zps52ba4c11.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0353_zpsff894244.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0354_zpsa338ebb4.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0355_zpsade61cba.jpg

[Second Hand Pat]

I really like these guys Ryan but alas you say they can not be mixed with discus :(

[Discus Origins]

Nice job on these Ryan!! Man the spawning adults really look nice with the blue coming through :)

[John_Nicholson]

Great job Ryan.

-john

[Ryan]

If only I had the same luck with flat fish. ;)

[Ryan]

I'm not a photographer. Any non-photographer who's tried to photograph their fish will probably agree that the hardest (and most frustrating) thing is not being able to capture the true color of our fish. Most of my Heroina pictures have been taken with a flash because my tank lights are not great and I'm using an old camera that's bad at low-light shots.

A month or two ago, I moved two spare female Heroina into my 210 gallon community so that they'd fatten up and grow a bit more. I'm a firm believer that constantly spawning and tending fry slows or even stops a cichlid's growth. I realized watching the tank last night that they have beefed up and grown a lot, and they are now the same size as the males. I decided to move one of the larger males into the tank to see what would happen and I ended up getting quite a show. The females turned on their blue color and started flirting. I managed to snap a few short videos (which I spliced together) and a couple blurry pictures, but these are without flash and actually show what the fish look like under aquarium lighting. It's quite a bright, stunning shade of blue.

FYI, the females are the ones who flash the blue. Males tend to be more of a red/copper/pink color, and carry the body freckles, as you'll see in the video.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0412_zpsc26726c1.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0414_zpscceff3a0.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j49/ryansmith83/IMG_0415_zps180c7652.jpg


http://youtu.be/kEZ74jUTgfU

(Excuse the pleco poop -- last night was water change night.)

[Second Hand Pat]

Beautiful Ryan and so ready.

[BigWave]

Nice videos and pictures, thanks for sharing.

Just out of curiosity, what are the big guys in the background of the last video?

[Ryan]

Mouthbrooding severums, Heros sp. 'Atabapo.' They currently have a mouthful of fry so they've been at war with everyone else in the tank.

[flavs]

Just got a trio from a LFS yesterday. Hopefully they'll breed for me, got a pair in them.

[Ryan]

I've had these wild-caught fish for almost two years (April 2012). They seem to be getting more aggressive as they get older, if that's possible. Half the seven adults have chewed off fins. They're in a 6' 210 gallon tank with large severums and they still manage to chew up each other (and the severums). This week I had the first spawn of the season so far.

Despite their attitudes, these are still one of my favorite cichlids I've ever kept.


http://youtu.be/9_gQ_pZx5I8

[musicmarn1]

wow Ryan, FASCINATING thread !!! you have a rare touch - good beans !

[Second Hand Pat]

Wish these were compatible with discus :( nice Ryan.

[Discus-n00b]

Ryan you are making me fall in love with these lol. You probably mentioned it already but do they do ok as a pair? Would you keep a pair alone? I read a while back you kept pairs in 40 breeders, is that long term?

[Ryan]

Matt, a compatible pair is usually pretty cooperative when they're spawning. It's when the spawning stops that things can get ugly. More specifically, it's the month or so before spawning starts up again. From what I can tell with my group, they break up and take some down time, being mostly solitary, then start to fight and pair off again before the spawning season restarts. I don't think my pairs are ever the same two fish when I have them in a community setup with multiple Heroina.

I did have two pairs in smaller tanks last year -- one in a 55 and one in a 40 breeder. There was some squabbling but it was mild and they mostly cooperated very well. I'd think with some sturdy dithers like deep bodied tetras they may be fine, much like convicts. I actually think their aggression is worse in the larger tank than it was when they were in a 55.

I'm actually contemplating splitting them all up to give my severums a break. I was planning to do a couple pairs in their own tanks and then splitting the unpaired fish between my other cichlid communities. I don't think they'd be as aggressive if they were the only Heroina in a tank, but I haven't tested that yet.

[marinum]

keep us updated! I like them. Congratulations excellent colors

[Attila]

I always did wonder what the fish in your avatar was, Ryan! Now I know...(it is one of these, right? haha)

[Ryan]

I always did wonder what the fish in your avatar was, Ryan! Now I know...(it is one of these, right? haha)

Yes. :)

[jmf3460]

Ryan, you are what turned me on to festivum cichlids. And now you have turned me onto these fish. I am like you, love the behavior of cichlids.

[winn0923]

Those are some sweet fish! I saw some available on tangle up in cichlids not too long ago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryan]

^ Yes, my wilds came from Jeff. He is breeding the same stock I am. I quit raising F1 because we both had so many that neither of us were able to get rid of them. I always point people in his direction for fry.

[winn0923]

Jeff got some good stock. Most of my SA (uaru, daemon, etc) came from him. He got some discus too but not too well known for them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryan]

We're coming up on three years with these guys. I have whittled it down to one wild pair. They're currently alone in a 210 with a single male Krobia guianensis. They haven't spawned in several months even though the male desperately cleans driftwood and flirts with the female. I'm not sure how much longer I'll have them, or even how long their lifespan is (not much is known about them), so I decided to make one last video.


http://youtu.be/QgUK3xdXpNo

[kira ken]

Hi Ryan
Beautiful fishes, I'm from Colombia and I haven't seen these fishes in any LFS.

thx for bring them up.
Best,

[rickztahone]

Ryan, you have some of the best looking fish! How many tanks do you currently have up and running?

[Ryan]

Hi Ryan
Beautiful fishes, I'm from Colombia and I haven't seen these fishes in any LFS.

thx for bring them up.
Best,

Thanks. They are not an easy fish to find! Not many fisherman are looking for them because there is little demand. They are not popular like discus, angelfish, etc.


Ryan, you have some of the best looking fish! How many tanks do you currently have up and running?

Thanks, Ricardo. Right now I'm running three 150s, a 210, four 55s, a couple 40 breeders and a couple 20s. The larger tanks are set up as communities. I like to grow out cichlids in groups of 4 - 8, let them pair naturally and spawn in the community tanks, then siphon any fry I want to raise and move them to the smaller tanks for grow-out. Right now I'm working with mostly small to medium-sized fish so I can get away with several species in the relatively small amount of space I have. Right now I've got:

- Angels (wild-cross, F3 wild Peruvian, Bulgarian Seal Point, pinoy paraiba)
- Geophagus sp. 'Red Head Tapajos'
- Aequidens sp. Janero Herrera (wild)
- Electric blue acaras
- Andinoacara latifrons (platinum acaras) (wild)
- Ivanacara adoketa F1

I have a few odds and ends pairs that are older and haven't really spawned as much but I keep them around (mouthbrooding severums, Krobia guianensis) as well as a few individuals that I'm attached to. It's actually the least amount of fish I've had in the last six or so years.

[rickztahone]

Amazing Ryan. I've been back and forth about getting discus for my upcoming tank build and was looking for an alternate cichlid, but have found that I always come back to discus. Cichlids are fiesty little things and I'd hate to get a group of a new cichlid and not understand their proper living conditions.