# Aequidens metae "Yellow Acara"



## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Anyone keep this species or have experience with them? I just got one about a month ago and I must say I think it is a highly underrated fish! My LFS got a shipment of them in and I got one. I had never really heard about them before that. They aren't the most colorful fish but I think there patterns are really neat. In the month I have had mine he has gotten so tame that he actually eats out of my hand! He even bites my finger when I put it in the water. He also begs for food at the top of the tank whenever I walk by. Mine is currently about 3 1/2" long. I've heard some conflicting info on how big they get. My LFS and some places on the web that I have read say they get up to 6" but I had someone tell me and read in another places that they can get up to 10 + inches. Dose anyone with experience know the answer to this?


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## Bruce Haynes (Sep 8, 2010)

I have a group of A. Metae and they are one of the most beautiful and colorful of the aequidens. If yours haven't gotten their colors yet...you will be amazed at how breathtaking they are. They can get to 6+ inches mine are about 5". I have a breeding pair on eggs, they just spawned tonight. I would go on record to say that A. Metae and A. Diadema are the holy grail of Aequidens. Both beautiful. Both awesome fish.


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## ivanmike (Jun 15, 2003)

Bruce Haynes said:


> I have a group of A. Metae and they are one of the most beautiful and colorful of the aequidens. If yours haven't gotten their colors yet...you will be amazed at how breathtaking they are. They can get to 6+ inches mine are about 5". I have a breeding pair on eggs, they just spawned tonight. I would go on record to say that A. Metae and A. Diadema are the holy grail of Aequidens. Both beautiful. Both awesome fish.


Ditto, both great fish. Almost as cool as "real" ports. (I wish I could find any of the 3 here).

Be aware, Metae, Diadema, and some related "true acaras" can be quite bellicose and they get on the large size after a while. The upside to this is that they can hold their own in a somewhat rowdy cichlid community.


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

I'm looking forward to mine coloring up more. He is starting to get some color on the edges of his fins. He is definitely a feisty little thing! I currently have him in a 40 gal tank with 2 giant danios, 2 tiger barbs and a small convict cichlid. This is not a permanent set up, I just had someone give me a bunch of fish and I'm still sorting through what to put where! He is funny to watch during feeding time. He gets so into trying to chase the other fish away from the food that he usually dose not get as much food as he would if he would just eat it.


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## Bartelot (Sep 28, 2011)

I plan to have an aquarium soon. kindly share some useful tips.


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## ivanmike (Jun 15, 2003)

kribfish said:


> I'm looking forward to mine coloring up more. He is starting to get some color on the edges of his fins. He is definitely a feisty little thing! I currently have him in a 40 gal tank with 2 giant danios, 2 tiger barbs and a small convict cichlid. This is not a permanent set up, I just had someone give me a bunch of fish and I'm still sorting through what to put where! He is funny to watch during feeding time. He gets so into trying to chase the other fish away from the food that he usually dose not get as much food as he would if he would just eat it.


oh yeah, all of the true acaras and many of the port complex don't color up for a long time. Adults OTOH, are a sight to behold.


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## TeteRouge (Feb 15, 2009)

Bartelot said:


> I plan to have an aquarium soon. kindly share some useful tips.


 Loads of invaluable info here http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ and on the home page. If you have a specific question, it's best to start a dicussion thread yourself to get good answers :thumb:

(apologies for the hijack, krib)


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Dose anyone have experience treating hole in the head? After bringing my yellow acara home from my LFS, I noticed it had two indents on ether side of the head and two on the front of its face just above the mouth. All four spots were fairly small so I decided to just keep it and treat it rather then return it. I've been keeping the tank at 80F, doing weekly 50% water changes, adding salt and running an air pump on the tank. Since I've had him it has not gotten any worse but it still looks the same as when I got him. Will the indents clear up or will they remain as scars?


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## ivanmike (Jun 15, 2003)

sometimes they clear up, sometimes not.

I'm in the camp that believes that the various pathogens associated with HITH are secondary. HITH seems to begin as a reaction to lax nitrogen cycle maintenance. Heroic water changes and excellent filtration tend to stop it dead in its tracks, and in many cases you can see re-growth.

I would do larger water changes (75-80%). every week, and right now I might do a couple a week. If you're running an air pump, why not hook it up to a box filter filled with ceramic "macaroni" or gravel, or a sponge filter and let it clean the tank more? Also what sort of filter(s) are you using on the tank now?


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

For filtration I have two hang on back filters, a whisper 45 and whisper 30 running. Both have sponges in them and I keep the cartridges in as long as possible (basically until it starts falling apart). I hadn't thought of hooking up a sponge filter to my air pump. I have one somewhere I will see if I can find it. I definitely have the hole in the head stopped as I've had the fish for about two months now and it hasn't gotten any worse. I will up the water changes and see if that will get it to clear up.


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