Cryptoheros sajica
Encyclopedia
The T-bar cichlid also known as Sajica cichlid is a Central American species of cichlid
found in freshwater
stream
s and lake
s on the Pacific slope of Costa Rica
. It was formerly known as Archocentrus sajica, but the taxonomy was revised as a result of a study by Juan Schmitter-Soto. The fish is tan colored with seven indistinct bars on the body. The third bar is usually prominent and coupled with a dark lateral stripe running from the gill cover results in a horizontal T-shaped mark, hence the common name of T-bar cichlid.
at up to 2000 feet of elevation, but they are not found in the rapids. They prefer smaller rocks and gravel
. They are omnivorous, feeding on algal filaments, aquatic insects, seeds and bottom detritus.
and anal fins.
These fish exhibits a number of different cichlid spawning behaviors including cave spawning (most common) and open substrate spawning. Which method that is used seem to depend on the mood of the parents not on the availability of suitable spawning caves. They pair off with a dance in which the male swimming parallel to the female. The males can be really aggressive with a female that is not ready to spawn, to the point where he may kill her. The female will find a secluded shelter to lay many egg
s such as a large crevice between rocks or a nest dug in the gravel. The male will then fertilize the eggs and then ferociously protect them from any other fish which come near.
Upon hatching after 3 days from the female laying the eggs, the fry will attempt to swim with the egg enclosed around its body. Eventually, the fry will resemble tiny versions of their parents. The female and male occasionally move the fry in their mouth to the nest if they stray too far from it, however the male might eat a few of them. They are very good parents and are often able to raise young to adult size in crowded community aquariums.
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
found in freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s and lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s on the Pacific slope of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It was formerly known as Archocentrus sajica, but the taxonomy was revised as a result of a study by Juan Schmitter-Soto. The fish is tan colored with seven indistinct bars on the body. The third bar is usually prominent and coupled with a dark lateral stripe running from the gill cover results in a horizontal T-shaped mark, hence the common name of T-bar cichlid.
Environment
The T-bar cichlid inhabits rivers which have moderate to strong currents in Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
at up to 2000 feet of elevation, but they are not found in the rapids. They prefer smaller rocks and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
. They are omnivorous, feeding on algal filaments, aquatic insects, seeds and bottom detritus.
Breeding
Male C. sajica reach to 12 cm. Mature females that are ready to spawn have a beautiful golden yellow color on their dorsalDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fins.
These fish exhibits a number of different cichlid spawning behaviors including cave spawning (most common) and open substrate spawning. Which method that is used seem to depend on the mood of the parents not on the availability of suitable spawning caves. They pair off with a dance in which the male swimming parallel to the female. The males can be really aggressive with a female that is not ready to spawn, to the point where he may kill her. The female will find a secluded shelter to lay many egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s such as a large crevice between rocks or a nest dug in the gravel. The male will then fertilize the eggs and then ferociously protect them from any other fish which come near.
Upon hatching after 3 days from the female laying the eggs, the fry will attempt to swim with the egg enclosed around its body. Eventually, the fry will resemble tiny versions of their parents. The female and male occasionally move the fry in their mouth to the nest if they stray too far from it, however the male might eat a few of them. They are very good parents and are often able to raise young to adult size in crowded community aquariums.