# Laetacara Thayeri



## livingroomdiver (Oct 10, 2011)

Has anyone kept these? I'm thinking of adding a single male to my 55 along with a small school of tiger barbs and a pair of Rainbow Cichlids (Centrals, I know). Info on these guys is sparse, but it seems that based on size and temperament they might be what I'm looking for. A little first hand advice would be helpful.


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

Here's some first hand advice: don't do it. _L. thayeri _are among some of the meanest cichlids for their size. The Rainbows wouldn't stand a chance. Also, they are the largest species of _Laetacara_, and get bigger than you would expect, around 5 inches. And finally, they are not very common, you would likely have a difficult time finding them, and they would not be cheap.

I know, not what you wanted to hear, but it is what you needed to know. And I learned the hard way.


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## livingroomdiver (Oct 10, 2011)

That is about the size that I'm looking for, but I definitely don't want anything to take out my Rainbows! Might Keyholes be a better choice? I've also thought of Blue Acara or Sajica.


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## keyholer (Apr 18, 2010)

A great alternative would be laetacara dorsigera. I have a breeding pair and even when spawning, not all that aggressive. Such a mellow, cool fish. colors when breeding are amazing. A great SA cichlid for a community tank. Mine are with bolivian rams and tetras, cories, plecos, etc. Everyone plays nice. First spawn didn't make it but high hopes for the next one.

Laetacara curviceps basically the same deal.


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## livingroomdiver (Oct 10, 2011)

My LFS has both Curviceps and Dorsigera, but no established pairs. I wouldn't hesitate to grab them if they did.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

in a 55g I'd just get 6 bolivian rams; they're awesome little fish, full of personality and very entertaining. I don't like the tiger barb stocking though... I find them a bit too frenzied and aggressive for dwarf cichlids.


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## livingroomdiver (Oct 10, 2011)

Any cichlid that can't hang with Tiger Barbs probably doesn't fit the profile I'm looking for. :lol:


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

That would pretty much eliminate all SA dwarves then  Keyholes especially; they're pretty shy and can have trailing fins, so tiger barbs would be a baaaaaaaaaaaad idea.


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## berten (10 mo ago)

Chromedome52 said:


> Here's some first hand advice: don't do it. _L. thayeri _are among some of the meanest cichlids for their size. The Rainbows wouldn't stand a chance. Also, they are the largest species of _Laetacara_, and get bigger than you would expect, around 5 inches. And finally, they are not very common, you would likely have a difficult time finding them, and they would not be cheap.
> 
> I know, not what you wanted to hear, but it is what you needed to know. And I learned the hard way.


just as a late reply for other people who search for info : I experience L. Thayeri to be shy and not agressive at all.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Wow, you have those? They are a rarity in the hobby. Besides @Mr Chromedome experience with that species, you are the first person I've heard of with any personal experience in keeping them.
Can you send pics?


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## denberte (10 mo ago)

Auballagh said:


> Wow, you have those? They are a rarity in the hobby. Besides @Mr Chromedome experience with that species, you are the first person I've heard of with any personal experience in keeping them.
> Can you send pics?


I have 40 fry right at this moment few days old ..hope they survive because i m in the hospital (my young son has serieus influenza)....i keep a trio in a 400 liter but lots of wood they are shy...i ll post a picture later.


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## berten (10 mo ago)

Auballagh said:


> Wow, you have those? They are a rarity in the hobby. Besides @Mr Chromedome experience with that species, you are the first person I've heard of with any personal experience in keeping them.
> Can you send pics?


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## berten (10 mo ago)

Auballagh said:


> Wow, you have those? They are a rarity in the hobby. Besides @Mr Chromedome experience with that species, you are the first person I've heard of with any personal experience in keeping them.
> Can you send pics?


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## berten (10 mo ago)

denberte said:


> I have 40 fry right at this moment few days old ..hope they survive because i m in the hospital (my young son has serieus influenza)....i keep a trio in a 400 liter but lots of wood they are shy...i ll post a picture later.


Here are some pictures of my Laetacara Thayeri, together with some barbus filamentosus and, as shown on the picture, also with geopghagus steindachneri.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

berten said:


> Here are some pictures of my Laetacara Thayeri, together with some barbus filamentosus and, as shown on the picture, also with geopghagus steindachneri.


Well, the first picture shows two _Geophagus steindachneri_ with a female _Gymnogeophagus balzanii_. There is a _Laetacara_ at the bottom of the second shot that could be _thayeri_, though I would like to see it colored up to be sure. From that shot it could also be a young _L. flavilabris_. The two species are very difficult to differentiate when still young. Many photos labelled under these names are misidentified.


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## berten (10 mo ago)

Mr Chromedome said:


> Well, the first picture shows two _Geophagus steindachneri_ with a female _Gymnogeophagus balzanii_. There is a _Laetacara_ at the bottom of the second shot that could be _thayeri_, though I would like to see it colored up to be sure. From that shot it could also be a young _L. flavilabris_. The two species are very difficult to differentiate when still young. Many photos labelled under these names are misidentified.


Hello Mr. Chromedome, thanks for your smart reply. You are totally right : I posted the wrong picture (first picture) which shows indeed my Balzanii. I'm sorry but I'm in a hectic situation right now, due to my little son who was hospitalized yesterday, and my lack of sleep. Everything is OK now. Anyway, I bought a trio of the Laetacara genus a few years ago, and had to determine which specie it was, for myself. So after some research, I had the options : Thayeri, Flammanellus or Flavilabris. I don't think it's Flammanellus, due to the fact that my fish'es black lateral stripe ends in the upper part of the body, which is typical Thayeri (I think). I don't seem to see that caracteristic in Flammanellus (nor Flavilabris), if I can believe google (question mark). Furthermore, according to info I found on internet, Flavilabris seems to be very precise with water conditions when breeding (low conductivity, low pH is necessary) and are not that easy to breed. Now my couple Laetacara laid eggs a few weeks ago (which are now free swimming for almost a week) in hard and alkaline water with no special conditioning (almost only quality dry food). Therefore my conclusion is Thayeri. Furthermore Thayeri is found in a small region on the western site of Peru, which might have colder water I think. I bred mine in an unheated tank (18 - 20 degrees). Are there any gaps in my conclusions ?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Well, I would never use Google images to determine a species characteristics. They are wrong as often as they are right. Those images are not vetted for ID, just grabs where ever the search name is mentioned. Cichlidae.com has good ID photos, vetted by experts. Fishbase images are also verified before they put them on their site, though they do give a link to Google as well.

I would agree that the temperature tolerance does point more toward _thayeri_, so that sounds reasonable. I would still love to see photos of them in breeding colors, though!


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