Apistomaster
06-22-2009, 01:51 PM
The genus Mesonauta contains 6 named species and it is believed 2 more that have not been described yet. They were introduced to the aquarium hobby in 1908 in the first importation into Berlin. They are a much under appreciated medium sized Cichlid which has been largely displaced by the numerous newer introductions be they the African Cichlids or the endless numbers of South and central American species.
They are not exactly new to me as I once regularly stocked them when I had my fish shop circa 1970 but I recently received 10 juveniles from Al(Brew) of one of the less common species, Mesonauta acora. The visual differences among these Cichlids species are negligible and species may only be able to be distinguished by minute physical details. They all look and behave the same way.
These are the first specimens I have bought for myself to keep long term so they are new to me in a way. Al sent me small specimens as I requested, 3/4 to 1 inches long. I placed them in my 125 gal biotope Nhamunda Blue Discus aquarium. my Discus liked to be content mostly hanging out under the root like prominences of my driftwood near the bottom but this school of juvenile "Festivums" have helped draw the Discus out of their favorite lies and made them more interested in exploring their tank. I may have done too good of a job at reproducing a wild Discus habitat. The outgoing little Mesonauta are proving to be good dither fish or help send signals the Discus take as evidence that there is no danger. The Discus are now far more willing to explore outside their usual haunts.
I have only had them for a few days but I am enjoying the heck out of these little guys.
By having 10 small F1 juveniles, I am able to see them behave very naturally in this well furnished large tank. I look forward to studying their social interactions as they grow.
Whether or not they will make suitable tank mates for wild Discus once they grow to maturity only time will tell. They generally have a good reputation for not being very aggressive. They do not dig holes in the sand and leave most plants alone much like Discus and Angelfish.
but they have been known to assert themselves. They love to eat Neon Tetras in the wild.
They normally do not bother plants and in nature are commonly found along with Angelfish and even Discus. They share much in common with wild Angelfish.
Mesonauta acora is not at all common in the hobby. Most available specimens are M. festiva and M. insignis. If they sound like a fish that interests you then you should check in with the brewster; he has a bunch of them and they are a perfect size to ship. He has M. acora which come from Brazil's Rio Araguaia and tributaries. This stream flows south to north to it's confluence with the main Amazon.
They are not exactly new to me as I once regularly stocked them when I had my fish shop circa 1970 but I recently received 10 juveniles from Al(Brew) of one of the less common species, Mesonauta acora. The visual differences among these Cichlids species are negligible and species may only be able to be distinguished by minute physical details. They all look and behave the same way.
These are the first specimens I have bought for myself to keep long term so they are new to me in a way. Al sent me small specimens as I requested, 3/4 to 1 inches long. I placed them in my 125 gal biotope Nhamunda Blue Discus aquarium. my Discus liked to be content mostly hanging out under the root like prominences of my driftwood near the bottom but this school of juvenile "Festivums" have helped draw the Discus out of their favorite lies and made them more interested in exploring their tank. I may have done too good of a job at reproducing a wild Discus habitat. The outgoing little Mesonauta are proving to be good dither fish or help send signals the Discus take as evidence that there is no danger. The Discus are now far more willing to explore outside their usual haunts.
I have only had them for a few days but I am enjoying the heck out of these little guys.
By having 10 small F1 juveniles, I am able to see them behave very naturally in this well furnished large tank. I look forward to studying their social interactions as they grow.
Whether or not they will make suitable tank mates for wild Discus once they grow to maturity only time will tell. They generally have a good reputation for not being very aggressive. They do not dig holes in the sand and leave most plants alone much like Discus and Angelfish.
but they have been known to assert themselves. They love to eat Neon Tetras in the wild.
They normally do not bother plants and in nature are commonly found along with Angelfish and even Discus. They share much in common with wild Angelfish.
Mesonauta acora is not at all common in the hobby. Most available specimens are M. festiva and M. insignis. If they sound like a fish that interests you then you should check in with the brewster; he has a bunch of them and they are a perfect size to ship. He has M. acora which come from Brazil's Rio Araguaia and tributaries. This stream flows south to north to it's confluence with the main Amazon.