neofibularia nolitangere , the touch-me-not sponge , is a species of demosponge in the family desmacellidae .

it is found in shallow waters in the western atlantic ocean and the caribbean sea .

neofibularia nolitangere

structure revision of two polyoxygenated sterols from the marine sponge neofibularia nolitangere . - pubmed - ncbi
the sperm nuclear basic proteins ( snbps ) of the sponge neofibularia nolitangere : implications for the molecular evolution of snbps .
jennifer hammock split the classifications by inventaire national du patrimoine naturel from neofibularia nolitangere ( duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) to their own page .
the sperm nuclear basic proteins ( snbps ) of the sponge neofibularia nolitangere : implications for the molecular evolution of snbps . - pubmed - ncbi
( of neofibularia nolitangere nolitangere ( duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) ) hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of neofibularia ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . postilla . 113 : 1 - 41 . page ( s ) : 10 - 11 [ details ]
( of neofibularia nolitangere nolitangere ( duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) ) wiedenmayer , f . ( 1977 ) . shallow - water sponges of the western bahamas . experientia supplementum . 28 : 1 - 287 , pls 1 - 43 . page ( s ) : 148 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
n . mordens in the gulf st . vincent ( south australia ) , n . nolitangere in the caribbean
( of neofibularia nolitangere oxeata hartman , 1967 ) hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of neofibularia ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . postilla . 113 : 1 - 41 . page ( s ) : 11 - 13 ; fig 3 [ details ]
hoppe , w . f . ; reichert , m . j . m . 1987 . predictable annual massrelease of gametes by the coral reef sponge neofibularia nolitangere ( porifera : demospongiae ) . marine biology 94 ( 2 ) : 277 - 285 . [ details ]
australian stinging sponge ( n . mordens ) , touch - me - not - sponge , poison bun sponge ( n . nolitangere )
hoppe , w . f . ; reichert , m . j . m . 1987 . predictable annual massrelease of gametes by the coral reef sponge < i > neofibularia nolitangere < / i > ( porifera : demospongiae ) . marine biology 94 ( 2 ) : 277 - 285 .
hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of neofibularia ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . postilla . 113 : 1 - 41 . page ( s ) : 10 - 11 [ details ]
( of fibulia massa ( carter , 1882 ) ) hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of neofibularia ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . postilla . 113 : 1 - 41 . [ details ]
hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of < i > neofibularia < / i > ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . < em > postilla . < / em > 113 : 1 - 41 .
hartman , w . d . ( 1967 ) . revision of neofibularia ( porifera , demospongiae ) , a genus of toxic sponges from the west indies and australia . postilla . 113 : 1 - 41 . page ( s ) : 7 - 10 ; fig 1 - 2 [ details ]
( of neofibularia massa ( carter , 1882 ) ) hechtel , g . j . ( 1965 ) . a systematic study of the demospongiae of port royal , jamaica . bulletin of the peabody museum of natural history . 20 : 1 - 103 . page ( s ) : 23 [ details ]
( of amphimedon nolitangere duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) duchassaing de fonbressin , p . ; michelotti , g . ( 1864 ) . spongiaires de la mer caraibe . natuurkundige verhandelingen van de hollandsche maatschappij der wetenschappen te haarlem . 21 ( 2 ) : 1 - 124 , pls i - xxv . page ( s ) : 82 [ details ]
careful reexamination of the published 1h - and 13c - nmr spectral data of ( 24s ) - 24 - ethylcholest - 8 - ene - 3β , 5α , 6β , 7α - tetraol ( 1 ) and ( 24s ) - 24 - ethylcholest - 8 ( 14 ) - ene - 3β , 5α , 6β , 7α - tetraol ( 2 ) , isolated from the marine sponge neofibularia nolitangere , indicates that , in reality , compounds 1 and 2 are ( 24s ) - 5α , 6α - epoxy - 24 - ethylcholest - 8 - ene - 3β , 7α - diol ( 9 ) and ( 24s ) - 5α , 6α - epoxy - 24 - ethylcholest - ( 14 ) - ene - 3β , 7α - dio ( 10 ) , respectively .
( of amphimedon nolitangere duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) van soest , r . w . m . ; stone , s . m . ; boury - esnault , n . ; rützler , k . ( 1983 ) . catalogue of the duchassaing & michelotti ( 1864 ) collection of west indian sponges ( porifera ) . bulletin zoologisch museum , universiteit van amsterdam . 9 ( 21 ) : 189 - 205 . page ( s ) : 198 [ details ]
( of fibulia nolitangere ( duchassaing & michelotti , 1864 ) ) laubenfels , m . w . de . ( 1936 ) . a discussion of the sponge fauna of the dry tortugas in particular and the west indies in general , with material for a revision of the families and orders of the porifera . carnegie institute of washington publication . 467 ( tortugas laboratory paper 30 ) 1 - 225 , pls 1 - 22 . page ( s ) : 51 - 52 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
holotype [ from synonym ] msnt por . 42 , locality eastern caribbean ( virgin islands , st . thomas ) [ view taxon ]
lectotype [ from synonym ] msnt por . 42 , locality eastern caribbean ( virgin islands , st . thomas ) [ view taxon ]
lectotype [ from synonym ] bmnh 1928 . 11 . 12 . 34 , locality eastern caribbean ( virgin islands , st . thomas ) [ view taxon ]
lectotype [ from synonym ] mnhn d . nbe 1062 , locality eastern caribbean ( virgin islands , st . thomas ) [ view taxon ]
van soest , r . w . m ; boury - esnault , n . ; hooper , j . n . a . ; rützler , k . ; de voogd , n . j . ; alvarez , b . ; hajdu , e . ; pisera , a . b . ; manconi , r . ; schönberg , c . ; klautau , m . ; picton , b . ; kelly , m . ; vacelet , j . ; dohrmann , m . ; díaz , m . - c . ; cárdenas , p . ; carballo , j . l . ; ríos , p . ; downey , r . ( 2018 ) . world porifera database .
( of fibularia massa carter , 1882 ) carter , h . j . ( 1882 ) . some sponges from the west indies and acapulco in the liverpool free museum described , with general and classificatory remarks . annals and magazine of natural history . ( 5 ) 9 ( 52 ) : 266 - 301 , 346 - 368 , pls xi - xii . [ details ]
hajdu , e . ; van soest , r . w . m . 2002 . family desmacellidae ridley & dendy , 1886 . pp . 642 - 650 . in hooper , j . n . a . & van soest , r . w . m . ( ed . ) systema porifera . a guide to the classification of sponges . 1 ( kluwer academic / plenum publishers : new york , boston , dordrecht , london , moscow ) . [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
rützler , k . ; díaz , m . c . ; van soest , r . w . m . ; zea , s . ; smith , k . p . ; alvarez , b . ; wulff , j . ( 2000 ) . diversity of sponge fauna in mangrove ponds , pelican cays , belize . atoll research bulletin . 476 : 230 - 248 . page ( s ) : 235 [ details ]
van soest , r . w . m . ( 1981 ) . a checklist of the curaçao sponges ( porifera demospongiae ) including a pictorial key to the more common reef - forms . verslagen en technische gegevens instituut voor taxonomische zoölogie ( zoölogisch museum ) universiteit van amsterdam . 31 : 1 - 39 . page ( s ) : 14 [ details ]
rützler , k . ; van soest , r . w . m . ; piantoni , c . ( 2009 ) . sponges ( porifera ) of the gulf of mexico . in : felder , d . l . and d . k . camp ( eds . ) , gulf of mexico–origins , waters , and biota . biodiversity . texas a & m press , college station , texas . 285–313 . [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
isbistera , g . k . & hooper , j . n . a . 2005 . clinical effects of stings by sponges of the genus tedania and a review of sponge stings worldwide . toxicon 46 : 782–785 . page ( s ) : 783 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
vacelet , j . ( 1990 ) . les spongiaires . in le monde marin . ( ed . claude bouchon ) pp 16 - 33 . la grande encyclopédie de la caraïbe . editions caraïbes , pointe à pitre . page ( s ) : 26 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
pérez , t . ; díaz , m . c . ; ruiz , c . ; cóndor - luján , b . ; klautau , m . ; hajdu , e . ; lôbo - hajdu , g . ; zea , s . ; pomponi , s . a . ; thacker , r . w . ; carteron , s . ; tollu , g . ; pouget - cuvelier , a . ; thélamon , p . ; marechal , j . - p . ; thomas , o . p . ; ereskovsky , a . e . ; vacelet , j . ; boury - esnault , n . ( 2017 ) . how a collaborative integrated taxonomic effort has trained new spongiologists and improved knowledge of martinique island ( french antilles , eastern caribbean sea ) marine biodiversity . plos one . 12 ( 3 ) : e0173859 . , available online at urltoken page ( s ) : 11 [ details ]
lehnert , h . ; van soest , r . w . m . ( 1998 ) . shallow water sponges of jamaica . beaufortia . 48 ( 5 ) : 71 - 103 . page ( s ) : 90 [ details ]
pulitzer - finali , g . ( 1986 ) . a collection of west indian demospongiae ( porifera ) . in appendix , a list of the demospongiae hitherto recorded from the west indies . annali del museo civico di storia naturale giacomo doria . 86 : 65 - 216 . page ( s ) : 137 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
van soest , r . w . m . ( 1984 ) . marine sponges from curaçao and other caribbean localities . part iii . poecilosclerida . in : hummelinck , p . w . & van der steen , l . j . ( eds ) , uitgaven van de natuurwetenschappelijke studiekring voor suriname en de nederlandse antillen . no . 112 . studies on the fauna of curaçao and other caribbean islands . 66 ( 199 ) : 1 - 167 . page ( s ) : 141 - 143 [ details ]
zea , s . ( 1987 ) . esponjas del caribe colombiano . ( catálogo cientifico : bogotá , colombia ) : 1 - 286 . page ( s ) : 178 - 182 ; fig 64 [ details ]
díaz , m . c . ( 2005 ) . common sponges from shallow marine habitats from bocas del toro region , panama . caribbean journal of science . 41 ( 3 ) : 465 - 475 . ( look up in imis ) page ( s ) : 472 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
alcolado , p . m . 1976 . lista de nuevos registros de poriferos para cuba . serie oceanológica . instituto de oceanologia . academia de ciencias de cuba . oceanologia ( 36 ) : 1 - 11 . page ( s ) : 5 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
( of gellius massa ( carter , 1882 ) ) arndt , w . ( 1927 ) . kalk - und kieselschwämme von curaçao . bijdragen tot de dierkunde . 25 : 133 - 158 , pls i - iii . [ details ]
( of fibulia massa ( carter , 1882 ) ) laubenfels , m . w . de . ( 1953 ) . sponges from the gulf of mexico . bulletin of marine science of the gulf and caribbean . 2 ( 3 ) : 511 - 557 . page ( s ) : 522 [ details ]
( of fibulia massa ( carter , 1882 ) ) van soest , r . w . m . ( 1984 ) . marine sponges from curaçao and other caribbean localities . part iii . poecilosclerida . in : hummelinck , p . w . & van der steen , l . j . ( eds ) , uitgaven van de natuurwetenschappelijke studiekring voor suriname en de nederlandse antillen . no . 112 . studies on the fauna of curaçao and other caribbean islands . 66 ( 199 ) : 1 - 167 . [ details ]
notes :
touch - me - not sponge .
in the bahamas it occurs as thick encrustation to tall masses with scattered wide and deep atria , maroon to orange - brown ; oscules inside atria are directed diagonally upwards . in other caribbean areas it consists of large vases / tubes , single or in groups , while in the bahama it appears as if these vases had laterally fused . it produces strong itching when handled .
m . de kluijver , g . gijswijt , r . de leon & i . da cunda
cake - shaped or massively incrusting , with an apical depression , which may lead to a cup - shape . oscules conspicuous , apical or inside the apical depression (
) . surface smooth or shaggy , areolate . size up to about 30 cm high and 30 cm wide . consistency : corky to compressible , fragile , crumbly .
occurring in the reef environment , but often in areas with some disturbance ; occasionally also a member of the fouling community .
contact with bare skin can result in a severe allergic reaction , including pain , numbness , swelling and rash that may last several days .
the species has been observed to
smoke
. such massive sperm releases suggest an oviparous reproduction .
humann , p . , 1992 . reef creature identification - florida caribbean bahamas , ( ed . n . deloach ) . new world publications , inc . , paramount miller graphics , inc . , jacksonville , florida .
soest , r . w . m . van , 1984 . marine sponges from curaçao and other caribbean islands . part iii . poecilosclerida . studies on the fauna of curaçao and other caribbean islands , 199 .
voss , g . l . , 1976 . seashore life of florida and the carribbean . banyan books , inc . miami , florida .
a large , irregular and lumpy sponge , which is brown to reddish brown . colonies are composed of several connected , thick walled cylinders or mounds , each with large exhalent openings . the outer surface is lumpy but smooth . inside the openings the surface is rough , to the extent of being ’buttressed’ or being nearly filled with connective tissues . this sponge is highly toxic and should not be touched .
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department of biochemistry and microbiology , university of victoria , victoria , british columbia , canada , v8w 3p6 .
hajdu , e . ; van soest , r . w . m . 2002 . family desmacellidae ridley & dendy , 1886 . pp . 642 - 650 . in hooper , j . n . a . & van soest , r . w . m . ( ed . ) systema porifera . a guide to the classification of sponges . 1 ( kluwer academic / plenum publishers : new york , boston , dordrecht , london , moscow ) . [ details ]
( of fibularia massa carter , 1882 ) hajdu , e . ; van soest , r . w . m . 2002 . family desmacellidae ridley & dendy , 1886 . pp . 642 - 650 . in hooper , j . n . a . & van soest , r . w . m . ( ed . ) systema porifera . a guide to the classification of sponges . 1 ( kluwer academic / plenum publishers : new york , boston , dordrecht , london , moscow ) . [ details ]
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wiedenmayer , f . ( 1977 ) . shallow - water sponges of the western bahamas . experientia supplementum . 28 : 1 - 287 , pls 1 - 43 . page ( s ) : 148 [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
thick encrusting ( . 4 - 3 cm ) , or massive to large vases ( up to 80 cm wide and high ) . brown - red in color externally , tan internally . surface varies from smooth and porous , to corrugated and microhispid , somewhat velvety . oscules dispersed ( 3 - 6 mm wide ) . firm but very fragile .
a very toxic species . do not touch it with the bared skin ! in bocas it overgrows other reef species aggressively .
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sponges are among the simplest multicellular animals . the vast majority of species live in the marine environment . they represent sessile life forms whose bodies are permeated by numerous channels and chambers . with the help of flagellate cells , water is taken in through numerous superficial openings for filtration for nutrients and respiration . water is expelled again through larger outlet channels .
most accidents occur when gathering sponges . most species only cause mild local effects or none at all . contact with the above - mentioned representatives generally results in pain and itching . local oedema of the soft tissue and joints can also result . spiculae that get stuck under the skin can lead to stiffness of the wrist and finger joints .
european freshwater sponges , such as spongilla lacustris , are also believed to cause dermatitis upon skin contact .
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* author to whom correspondence should be addressed ; e - mail : is . jl - inu . fb @ krut . mot ; tel . : + 386 1 4233388 ; fax : + 386 1 2573390 .
received 2010 mar 3 ; revised 2010 mar 26 ; accepted 2010 apr 2 .
this article is an open - access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the creative commons attribution license ( urltoken ) .
despite the fact that cytotoxicity is the most widespread characteristic of compounds isolated from marine sponges , they also possess other activities . due to the sessile nature of sponges it is not surprising that many of their natural products show strong antifouling activities . several reviews on such compounds have been published recently [ 17 , 18 ] .
in the present study we report the screening results of several biological activities found in aqueous and organic extracts from 43 tropical marine sponge species that could possibly lead to the discovery of novel compounds of pharmacological interest .
( # 81 ) were strongly hemolytic and showed substantial ache inhibitory activity . after dilution both activities were almost completly lost (
( # 59 ) , on the other hand showed strong hemolytic and considerable ache inhibitory activity . after dilution the former activity was completely preserved while the later was completely lost . undiluted organic extracts from the same sponge also showed moderate pp1 inhibition , while heated aqueous extracts exhibited modest activation of the same enzyme . after dilution the former activity was lost while the later remained unchanged (
1 organic extracts : a ( acetone ) , b ( butanol ) , m ( methanol ) .
+ + + , hemolytic activity ( t 50 between 0 and 5 min ) . t 50 = half - time of hemolysis , e . g . the time in which 50 % of erythrocytes are lysed .
1 organic extracts : a ( acetone ) , b ( butanol ) , m ( methanol ) .
organic extracts : a ( acetone ) , b ( butanol ) , m ( methanol ) .
activation is indicated in italics , and denotes a factor by which the pp1 activity is enhanced .
hemolytic activity was present in only a few aqueous samples , whereas the same activity was observed in nearly half of the organic extracts . acetone extracts possessed the highest levels of hemolytic activity , followed by butanol and methanol extracts ; the latter contained the highest amount of extracted material . aqueous extracts whose hemolytic activity was lost after heating were of special interest as this indicated the presence of a proteinaceous active compound ( s ) . based on these criteria such hemolytic proteins may be present in
( # 76 ) , however a second specimen from a different location ( # 14 ) did not exhibit any hemolytic activity . the unheated aqueous extract from
( # 69 ) was hemolytic , but again another specimen ( # 45 ) from a different location was not . these results indicate that the same species from a different location may harbor different chemistry possibly originating from endosymbiotic organisms present in the particular collected specimen . such observations were quite common in this study . another interesting species that showed strong hemolytic activity was
( # 99 ) . in this case , the active compound responsible for hemolytic activity was ascribed to be non - proteinaceous in nature , as its activity was retained after heating . hemolytic assays using diluted samples of aqueous sponge extracts confirmed that
contained the highest levels of hemolytic activity . the most active organic extracts after dilution were those from
) . hemolytic proteins isolated from marine sponges are rare . two such examples are suberitin , isolated from the mediterranean sponge
] . to date no hemolytic compounds have been reported from the marine sponges used in this study . an aqueous extract from
moderate hemagglutinating activity has been detected in 14 aqueous sponge extracts , one showed activity in the heated fraction only and extracts from two sponge species , both heated and unheated fractions , were active . after dilution only one extract from myrmekioderma styx ( # 86 ) showed strong hemagglutinating activity ( 7 . 2 μg / ml ) . the heated fraction lost its activity , suggesting the compound responsible for hemagglutinating activity is probably a lectin or a protein . so far , several compounds with antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities have been isolated from this species [ 33 – 36 ] , but no hemagglutinating activity has been reported .
) . almost all samples ( only two samples showed no activity ) were able to prevent growth of at least one bacterial strain . many of the samples inhibited the growth of gram positive bacteria , but only few affected the growth of gram negative bacteria . organic extracts tended to be more active than the aqueous extracts . diluted samples of those sponges that showed the highest antibacterial activity were retested and results expressed as a minimal inhibitory concentration ( mic ,
( # 59 , # 93 ) showed considerable antimicrobial activity . the most active samples were the butanol extracts from
( # 38 , mic = 80 ng / ml ) . the highest antimicrobial activity in the aqueous extracts was found in the unheated extract from
are among the most widely studied in terms of their natural products . a number of different compounds have been isolated and characterized , many of them being antimicrobial [
( # 61 ) . the antimicrobial activity of the unheated aqueous extract ( mic = 48 μg / ml ) was about 100 fold more potent than the heated extracts , again indicating the active compound might be a peptide or a protein . the specificity against gram negative bacteria is interesting because these bacteria are usually more resistant to antimicrobial compounds due to the lipopolysaccharidic component of their cell wall .
showed considerable inhibitory activity , the most active being the butanolic extract ( 34 μg ) which inhibited almost 50 % of ache activity .
) . several heated aqueous extracts enhanced pp1 activity by up to 2 - fold . the only exceptions are the unheated and heated aqueous extracts from
( # 9 ) which caused 23 % and 44 % inhibition , respectively . organic extracts caused pp1 inhibition only . the most active extracts were those from
( # 83 ) and from an unidentified sponge ( # 21 ) . from each of these species at least one organic extract totally inhibited pp1 activity . the concentrations necessary for total enzyme inhibition range from 54 to 790 μg / ml . the interesting pp1 activation by several aqueous heated extracts cannot be explained by the presence of innate protein phosphatases since those should be destroyed by heating . we cannot exclude the possibility that activation is due to the interference between certain compounds in tested extracts with chromophores used in the pp1 inhibition assay .
sixty - six sponge specimens were studied , represented by 43 sponge species ( table 1a and 1b ) . thirty - five were collected by scuba by dr . daniel schaft at depths from 5 to 45 m in the reefs of curaçao ( netherlands antilles ) at several locations : the entrance of picadera bay , coastline of charo and boca sami . the specimens were taxonomically determined to species level , seven remained unidentified . the other eight species were collected from lizard island ( great barrier reef , queensland , australia ) , and identified to at least genus level .
all sponge samples were lyophilized and dried weight was determined . the total material was divided into two parts ; one part for aqueous extraction , the other subjected to extraction with organic solvents . the total mass of freeze - dried sponge samples was within the range from 0 . 35 g to 36 . 8 g .
the protein content was determined only in unheated samples and measured by bca protein reagent according to the manufacturers manual ( pierce , usa ) . different concentrations of bovine serum albumin ( sigma , usa ) were used as a standard . prior to the addition of the reagent , samples were diluted 1 : 20 ( v / v ) with deionized water . the colour formation was determined at 562 nm using microtiter plate reader ( dynex technologies , usa ) after 30 min of incubation .
samples obtained by aqueous extraction were tested for hemagglutinating activity . fresh bovine erythrocytes were washed twice in buffer as described above ( see hemolytic activity assay ) . two per cent final erythrocyte suspension was prepared using the same buffer . the erythrocyte suspension ( 100 μl ) was added to each well of a 96 round - well microtitre plate , followed by 25 μl of samples . hemagglutination was visually inspected after 45 min of incubation at room temperature .
the effects of sponge samples on pp1 activity were monitored colorimetrically according to tubaro et al . [ 29 ] using a microplate reader ( dynex , usa ) . rabbit recombinant α - isoform pp1 expressed in e . coli ( sigma , usa ) was the enzyme used . to each well of the microtiter plate 150 μl of buffer ( 40 mm tris / hcl , 34 mm mgcl 2 . 6h 2 o , 4 mm edta and 4 mm dl - dtt , ph 8 . 4 ) , 50 μl of the substrate ( 141 mm p - nitrophenil phosphate ) and 2 μl of sponge samples ( 2 μl of deionized water or ethanol in the controls ) was added . the reaction was started by the addition of 50 μl of buffer - dissolved pp1 ( 0 . 25 u / ml ) . samples that showed activity were further diluted ( 1 : 10 and 1 : 100 v / v ) . all reactions were monitored for 12 min at 25 °c for the colour development at 405 nm .
hemolytic activity : + , moderate activity ( t 50 between 10 and 15 min ) ; + + , strong activity ( t 50 between 5 and 10 min ) ; + + + , very strong activity ( t 50 between 0 and 5 min ) .
t 50 = half - time of hemolysis , e . g . the time in which 50 % of erythrocytes are lysed .
ache inhibition : + , moderate inhibition ( 0–33 % ) ; + + , strong inhibition ( 34–66 % ) ; + + + , very strong inhibition ( 67–100 % ) .
pp1 activation / inhibition : a , activation ( up to 100 % ) ; i , moderate inhibition ( 0–33 % ) ; ii , strong inhibition ( 34–66 % ) ; iii , very strong inhibition ( 67–100 % ) .
list of species from lizard island ( great barrier reef , queensland , australia ) .
this study was supported by the research program p1 - 207 toxins and biomembranes funded by slovenian research agency . the authors would like to thank tina dolinšek , petra cesarec , aleš likar and bojan martinšek for their technical help .
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confused by a class within a class or an order within an order ? please see our brief essay .
to cite this page : myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2018 . the animal diversity web ( online ) . accessed at https : / / animaldiversity . org .
disclaimer : the animal diversity web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students . adw doesn ' t cover all species in the world , nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe . though we edit our accounts for accuracy , we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts . while adw staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable , we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control .
this material is based upon work supported by the national science foundation grants drl 0089283 , drl 0628151 , due 0633095 , drl 0918590 , and due 1122742 . additional support has come from the marisla foundation , um college of literature , science , and the arts , museum of zoology , and information and technology services .
etymology : - from the latin porus for pore and ferre to bear , hence an animal with with pores .
characteristics of porifera : - 1 ) no definite symmetry . 2 ) body multicellular , few tissues , no organs . 3 ) cells and tissues surround a water filled space but there is no true body cavity . 4 ) all are sessile , ( live attached to something as an adult ) . 5 ) reproduce sexually or asexually , sexual reproduction can be either gonochoristic or hermaphroditic . 6 ) has no nervous system . 7 ) has a distinct larval stage which is planktonic . 8 ) lives in aquatic environments , mostly marine . 9 ) all are filter feeders . 10 ) often have a skeleton of spicules .
sponges are one of the better known groups of invertebrates , due to their usefulness in the bath many people who care nothing for invertebrates at least know name and may even have seen a sponges skeleton on sale in a shop . one of the more amazing things about sponges is there ability to suffer damage . because the cells are not linked in a tissue it is possible for them to be separated an then come together again . some species such as the freshwater sponge ephydatia fluviatilis can be pushed through a sieve , then if given time the individual cells will come together again and make a new sponge .


the t-bar cichlid ( cryptoheros sajica ) , also known as sajica cichlid is a central american species of cichlid found in freshwater streams and lakes 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 .

cryptoheros sajica

t bar cichlid ( cryptoheros sajica )
before and after
tank maintenance .
above two cryptoheros sajica , photo by mario toromanovic . youtube video at end of article .
t - bar cichlid , mojarra , sajica - buntbarsch , . . . more
cichlasoma sajica ( hd movie 06 ) - t bar cichlid & convict cichlid fry .
cryptoheros sajica inhabits rivers which have moderate to strong currents , but prefer slow flowing water in a small water bodies , only few yards in width . they are found above gravel , as well as sandy bottoms .
cryptoheros sajica isn ' t the easiest fish to find . occasionally you can see this fish listed in the aca trading post , but seldom for sale on the web . your best bet is to ask around at local clubs or on the internet .
stomach contents of wild fish indicate that cryptoheros sajica feeds mostly on plant material . beside filamentous algae and small seeds , water insects and small fish were also found . with this in mind , i fed a diet of flake and pellet food , frozen mysis and brine shrimp , with the occasional treat of live black worms .
cichlids : aequidens rivulatus oscar - astronotus ocellatus blue acara - aequidens pulcher cichla monoculus red terror cichlid - cichlasoma festae firemouth cichlid - thorichthys meeki flier cichlid - archocentrus centrarchus gold mixteco - thorichthys sp . ' mixteco gold ' hellers cichlid - thorichthys helleri amphilophus labiatus keyhole cichlid - cleithracara maronii midas cichlid - amphilophus citrinellus archocentrus octofasciatum red port acara - cichlasoma portalegrense tricolor cichlid - cichlasoma salvini sieve cichlid - cichlasoma grammodes theraps wesseli turquoise cichlid - amphilophus robertsoni umbie - caquetaia umbrifera yellow acara - aequidens metae dwarf cichlids : agassiz dwarf cichlid - apistogramma agassizii blue panda apisto - apistogramma panduro cockatoo dwarf cichlid - apistogramma cacatuoides convict cichlid - cryptoheros nigrofasciatus cryptoheros nanoluteus nijssenis dwarf cichlid - apistogramma nijsseni cryptoheros sp . ' honduran red point ' umbrella cichlid - apistogramma borellii viejti apisto - apistogramma viejita
hi . i have a question regarding males of c . sajica . i had some of them about 15 years ago , i have them now from few months and i ' m wondering why my current males does not wear breeding colors like the other one that i had some time ago . male from the past in time of breeding and fry care was turning dark , nearly black with golden eyes . similar as female of those cichlids do . my current male does not change colors while breeding / caring . while looking for pictures of cryptoheros sajica on the web i found that males in breeding colors are quite rare . . .
i would like to write a few words about my experience breeding wild caught a . sajica and the surprise these fishes gave me . a surprise that shows these animals fascinating and diverse behaviour .
this video shows my breeding group of cryptoheros sajica aka t - bar cichlid . there are 2 males and 3 females , and they form two pairs , that had fry at the same time . water parameters in that tank are ph 7 . 4 and temp . 78°f . both male and female are excellent parents , taking care of eggs and later fry , from day one . you can see change in colors , once they lay eggs and during care for fry .
t - bar cichlid should not be kept with cichlasoma nigrofasciatum or its relatives who may interbreed . the species name sajica is an acronym for sa lvador ji menez ca nossa , director of the library of congress of costa rica .
, formerly known as the archocentrus sajica is a small central american cichlid found exclusively in the pacific slopes of costa rica . male specimens can grow up to a nearly 5 inches , while females are considerably smaller and fully grown at about 4 inches .
out of curiosity i also tried keeping them in an aquarium with clear water and a large pair of n . managuense as company and the sajica couple spawned standing guard over their eggs and fry . it seemed like they simply chose another strategy in darker waters . i have kept other pairs of breed a sajica in the 540 l / 145 gallon aquarium since then , but none of them have showed this behaviour . i’m hoping that others get to experience this unique behaviour that just goes to shows us that cichlids never stops surprising .
i got a pair of wild caught a sajica from a friend that had collected them on a trip . since i had kept this species before , in fact it was the third cichlid i ever breed , i didn’t expect any surprises . well , i was wrong .
i obtained five young , 1 - inch cryptoheros sajica from one of gcca ' s regular meeting auctions . i placed them in a ten gallon tank for a month or two and then transferred them to my 20 gallon tank . at about eight months old , they began pairing up , and i ended up with two pairs . the result was a pair of fish on each half of the tank and one extra female . there were some fights in the beginning , but once borders were established , fighting stopped , and soon after both pairs laid eggs . one pair chose a rock - like cave and other pair spawned in pleco bell .
the wild caught a sajica couple spawned many times in this aquarium , once every 2 - 3 month , and they always to great success used this method . at one point i moved them to another aquarium about half as big as the other and with clear water . they shared this tank with a number of other cichlids , mostly fry from the larger aquarium . in this aquarium they spawned in they way one are used to see a sajica spawn , e . g . standing guard over their eggs and fry . a little later the couple was moved back to the 540 l / 145 gallon aquarium and they then started to “hide” their eggs and fry again .
to my great relief the sajica found themselves loving their company and was left alone by their larger predatory cousins . the aquarium was decorated with two very large roots that reached all the ways to the surface of the aquarium and created three natural territories for the fishes in the aquarium . there where small gaps under the roots that the ancistruses utilized for breeding . the larger cichlids couldn’t get into these spaces . these large roots made the water in this tank very dark and made it look like a black water river aquarium . the water conditions was however harder and the ph level higher than what you might expect to find in a black water river .
in shortage of better accommodations i put the 6 cm / 2 . 5 inches long cichlids in a 540 l / 145 gallon aquarium that was already overly crowded . in the aquarium already swam four 20 cm / 8 inches texas cichlids , a pair of n . festae ( 25 and 20 cm / 10 and 8 inches ) , a pair of n . managuense ( about the same size as n . festae ) and four natal cichlids , mossanbicus mossanbicus , ( 20 cm / 8 inches ) . the tanked was also inhabited by two convicts ( about 4 cm / 1 . 5 inches ) that had originally been put there as feeders , and finally loads of ancistrus that just wouldn’t stop breeding . all of the species where breeding regularly in the aquarium . as i said , the aquarium was already very crowded . i knew i was taking a chance putting the small sajica in with these predators but i didn’t have any choice .
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the parents continued to take them on these little expeditions for about a month after which the fry had grown to approximately 1 . 5 cm / 0 . 75 inch . the impressing thing is that almost all of they fry had survived to this age . after the parents had stop caring for their fry the young quickly became boulder and started swimming around , which lead to that all but two of the fry was eaten one week later . ( there were 50 - 60 fry before that . ) these two however did manage to grow up in this aquarium .
- information about all aspects of jack dempsey cichlids , their care and breeding .
- information about all aspects of red devil cichlids , their care and breeding .
a relatively peaceful , smaller growing cichlid . will stock well as an individual in community tanks . more than one individual of this species in a tank , is best kept as a member of an established / compatible pair , as conspecific aggression can be a problem in the t - bar cichlid . males will grow a bit larger in size than the females , and become much sturdier , ' chunkier ' looking at adult sizes , by growing an impressive - looking forehead lump with dominance called a ' nuchal ' hump . spawning coloration is dramatic , and quite beautiful in this species as the male and female will become quite dark , with the eyes becoming by contrast , an extremely bright , shimmering gold in color . two pairs of this calmer , more peaceful cichlid can be stocked with confidence in minimum sized , four foot long aquariums . beware of stocking a spawning pair in community tanks ! they are very protective - aggressive - parents . a six foot long tank is recommended as the minimum size for keeping this cichlid as spawning pairs , in ' mixed ' species community tanks . stock with tank mates that are ' robust ' and hardy in nature , but not so large in size they will just simply eat your pair !
pronunciation : refer to our pronunciation key for an explanation of the phonetic symbols .
habitat : this is the primary location where the cichlid is found and is a generalization . this does not mean a fish cannot be found in other habitats .
diet : many cichlids specialize in eating one type of food ; notwithstanding , some of these specialized feeders are flexible and can be opportunistic feeders .
temperament : this describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tankmates that are of a different species . consider that there is variability in temperament due to various factors , including aquarium size , tankmates of similar appearance , stocking levels , and order of introduction . there may even be some variability among individual specimens .
conspecific temperament : this describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tank - mates of the same species . consider that there is variability in temperament due to such factors as aquarium size , stocking levels and order of introduction . there may even be some variability among individual specimens .
maximum size : this is in regards to total length ( including the tail ) of typical aquarium specimens . wild specimens may not attain this size , or may in fact grow larger than aquarium raised individuals due to various factors . also consider that this is the typical maximum size and there are exceptional individuals that will exceed it .
difficulty : this measure is a relative value , comparing a single species against all other cichlids . this only accounts for maintanence in the aquarium and not breeding considerations . 1 = easy and forgiving , 5 = extremely challenging .
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and 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 . this t - mark is the
evidence
supporting the common name of t - bar cichlid .
because of lack of tank space at the time i acquired these fish , i kept two pairs in twenty gallon tall tank . i would definitely recommend a bigger tank , at least 40 gallon . i maintained the temperature at 78°f , ph at 7 . 2 and performed up to 50 % water change every 3 to 4 days . the tank was furnished with gravel , some caves , rocks and driftwood . lights were on 12 to 14 hours a day .
these fish are not overly aggressive , so even though the tank was on the small side , aggression was limited and no fish were lost .
eight days post spawn , hundreds of little fry emerged from the bell and cave , closely guarded by their parents . i immediately began feeding with newly hatched brine shrimp .
t - bar cichlids are excellent parents . both male and female actively guarded the fry for almost two months before i removed the fry to a separate tank .
the greater chicago cichlid association — gcca — is a not - for - profit , educational organization , chartered in the state of illinois , dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of information relating to the biology of the fishes in the family cichlidae , with particular emphasis on maintenance and breeding in captivity . we are simply cichlid hobbyists who love cichlids .
here ' s a look at my t bar cichlid in my 40b t bar tank . i also have rasbora hets , glowlight tetras , otocinclus and more in this freshwater , planted tank . aunt tagonist - silent film dark by kevin macleod is licensed under a creative commons attribution license ( urltoken ) source : urltoken artist : urltoken i created this video with the youtube video editor ( urltoken )
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small , personable , and gregarious , t - bar cichlids are great choices for novice aquarists who want fish with personality that will breed for them without excessive aggression .
omnivorous - does well with flake or pellet food supplimented with vegetable or meat foods .
this is a less common species from central america . there are two color varieties - one that is purple and blue and another that is yellow or gold . this species should be provided with caves to hide and breed in .
other central american cichlids such as firemouth meeki and convicts . catfish and plecos should also do well .
mated pairs will breed in a cave . unlike many other american cichlids , mated pairs may not stay mated for life .
named for the type locality of the type species ; ' amatitlán ' means ' a place abundant in amate ' in nahuatl , ' amate ' is a kind of rustic paper made from the bark of ficus petiolaris or ficus indica .
freshwater ; benthopelagic ; ph range : 7 . 0 - ? ; dh range : 15 - ? . tropical ; 23°c - 30°c ( ref . 36880 )
maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 9 . 0 cm sl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 36377 ) ; 8 . 0 cm tl ( female )
dorsal spines ( total ) : 17 - 18 ; dorsal soft rays ( total ) : 9 - 10 ; anal spines : 6 - 8 ; anal soft rays : 7 - 8 . this species has no unique autapomorphies , the third ( main ) lateral bar uniformly wide ( its width not uniform in other species ) ; caudal blotch usually absent ; no lateral spot or medial intensification of bars on side of body ; absence of ocellus on dorsal fin ; without abdominal blackening in mature females ; palatine arms subequal ; posteriad projection on ventroposterior angle of retroarticular absent ; articular with a right angle ventrally ; an anteriorly directed pronounced convexity on ventral process of articular present ; anal - fin spines modally 7 ( ref . 74403 ) .
inhabits rivers and rivulets which have moderate to strong currents but is not found in the rapids . prefers smaller rocks and gravel . found up to 2000 feet of elevation . omnivorous , feeding on algal filaments , aquatic insects , seeds and bottom detritus . spawns in caves or crevices , preferring to adhere its eggs to an oblique or vertical surface . produces about 200 offspring which feed on the parent ' s dermal mucus .
schmitter - soto , j . j . , 2007 . a systematic revision of the genus archocentrus ( perciformes : cichlidae ) , with the description of two new genera and six new species . zootaxa 1603 : 1 - 78 . ( ref . 74403 )
phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 0 . 5020 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .
bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 03162 ( 0 . 01397 - 0 . 07157 ) , b = 2 . 99 ( 2 . 80 - 3 . 18 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this ( sub ) family - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .
trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 2 . 3 ±0 . 17 se ; based on food items .
resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : high , minimum population doubling time less than 15 months ( preliminary k or fecundity . ) .
vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : low vulnerability ( 13 of 100 ) .
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is evident on the males . the males are a little more colourful . the females have more yellow hues on their fins .
this fish can be aggressive and shouldn ' t be kept with smaller fish . keep in either a species tank or with other similar sized
prefers a good current and likes a small pebble or gravel substrate . can do well in a planted tank provided plants are well established as this fish can dig .
a semi - aggressive cichlid . aggression increases , especially on the part of the female , if they are spawning and she will defend her eggs and fry ferociously .
an attractive cichlid once it has settled into its environment . it ' s body and fins have blue , yellow and red hues on a olive green base colour . it gets its
t - bar
common name from the ' t ' shape that can occasionally be seen on its flanks .
this page was last edited on 13 december 2017 , at 03 : 02 .
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known from rio parrita to rio coloradito . also ref . 2060 , 36377 , 52307 .
schmitter - soto , j . j . 2007 . ( ref . 74403 )
max length : 9 . 0 cm sl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 36377 ) ; 8 . 0 cm tl ( female )
freshwater ; benthopelagic ; ph range : 7 . 0 - ? ; dh range : 15 - ?
pd 50 = 0 . 5020 many relatives ( e . g . carps ) 0 . 5 - 2 . 0 few relatives ( e . g . lungfishes )
high , minimum population doubling time less than 15 months ( preliminary k or fecundity . )
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usnm 211617 ( 20 paratypes ) , costa rica , puntarenas , a tributary of rio sierpe , 2 km s of palmar sur ; mhng 2447 . 21 ( 1 ) , costa rica , puntarenas , rio ceiba ; ummz 194210 ( 4 ) , ummz 194239 ( 28 , 2 c & s , 8 dig . ) , costa rica , puntarenas , a tributary to rio ceiba , just above mouth .
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central american cichlids are adaptable , often quite aggressive fish that require moderately hard and alkaline water conditions . they are among the most popular cichlids in the hobby thanks to their bright colours and general hardiness , but the large size of some species and their sometimes violent behaviour means that few are suitable for the average community tank .
environment limestone dominates much of the geology of central american , and consequently the rivers and lakes tend to be hard and alkaline . volcanic crater lakes are a distinctive feature of the central american aquatic environment , characterised by their rocky banks and great depth . lake nicaragua is a particularly famous example , and besides being home to a variety of cichlids , bull sharks regularly swim into the lake from the pacific ocean via the 120 - mile san juan river .
“the firemouth cichlid thorichthys meeki is a native to mexico , guatemala and belize . ”
water chemistry if you live in a hard water area , the chances are your tap water will be adequate for keeping these fish . central american cichlids are adaptable and do well across a range of water chemistry values , though as ever in fishkeeping , it is important to maintain ph and hardness stability between water changes . in general , ph 7 - 8 and a hardness of 10 degrees dh or more will suit these fish well . in soft water areas some hardening of the water will be necessary . one approach is to place calcareous media ( such as crushed coral ) in one of the compartments inside a canister filter . as the water flows past this media it will dissolve some of the calcium carbonate , resulting in harder , more alkaline water . because filters get dirty over time , any such media will gradually lose its buffering capacity as it gets covered with dirt and slime . to prevent problems , take care to clean any calcareous media under a hot tap at least once a month , or sooner if you find the ph dropping .
“electric blue jack dempsey cichlids are typical of central americans in preferred moderately hard , alkaline water conditions . ”
an alternative approach is to add minerals to each bucket of new water . you can use commercially available cichlid salts of the type produced for malawian and tanganyikan cichlids , but you likely won’t need to use the full dose . a half dose should be adequate , though check the ph and hardness with your test kits and adjust as required . if you want to make your own mineral salts , then add 1 teaspoon baking soda ( sodium bicarbonate ) , 1 tablespoon epsom salt ( magnesium sulfate ) , and 1 teaspoon marine salt mix ( sodium chloride and various trace elements ) per 10 gallons ( 40 litres ) of water . again , check the ph and hardness and adjust as necessary .
salinity some central american cichlids inhabit brackish water habitats and could be kept in a brackish water system . one benefit of keeping these fish in brackish water conditions is that the marine salt mix will automatically adjust ph and hardness to appropriate levels . examples of species found in slightly brackish water include amphilophus hogaboomorum , herichthys carpintis , herichthys pearsei , parachromis friedrichsthalii , parachromis motaguensis , rocio octofasciata and vieja synspila . these will do well at specific gravity levels up to around sg 1 . 005 . a few species are able to live and breed in fully marine conditions . these include cichlasoma urophthalmus , nandopsis haitiensis , nandopsis tetracanthus and vieja maculicauda . none of these fish needs brackish water conditions to do well , and all could be kept in a plain freshwater aquarium without problems .
water temperature for most species the usual 25 degrees c ( 77 degrees f ) will suffice . higher temperatures are sometimes advocated by hobbyists , but the only real benefit of this is to increase the frequency with which these cichlids spawn . unless you are farming these fish on a massive scale , there’s no particular reason to have your fish spawning every 3 - 4 weeks !
decorating the tank since most central american cichlids come from shady habitats with lots of cover , they appreciate a tank that isn’t too brightly lit . most species like to dig , so live plants , except perhaps floating species , aren’t of much use . instead concentrate on large plastic plants , rocks , and pieces of artificial or real bogwood . because large amounts of bogwood can acidify the aquarium over time , if you decide to use a lot of this material , monitor ph carefully and do not neglect water changes ! the sand - sifting species will appreciate a fine substrate . river sand is ideal , but otherwise a mix of four parts smooth silica sand to one part coral sand will produce a reasonable facsimile . because these cichlids like subdued light and shady environments , they don’t appreciate brightly coloured gravels .
because these fish dig a lot , take care that their activity cannot undermine your arrangement of rocks . make sure all rocks are securely balanced , and if necessary use a gravel tidy to secure a cushioning layer of gravel at the bottom of the tank . this will prevent any rocks slipping and cracking the glass . most of these fish spawn in caves , or at least dig a pit somewhere sheltered . in many cases a flowerpot on its side makes an ideal nesting site .
tank size central american cichlids need a lot of space . tanks less than 110 litres ( 30 gallons ) in size are best reserved for singletons or breeding pairs . collections of the smaller , milder species could be maintained in tanks 200 litres ( 55 gallons ) in size , but for best results you should aim for a tank 375 - 750 litres ( 100 - 200 gallons ) in size . this will provide your fish with plenty of space , and make it easier to keep the bigger and more aggressive species without them killing each other .
amatitlania - convict cichlids the standard convict cichlid of the hobby is amatitlania nigrofasciata . various colour morphs are available , including an albino form . wild - type fish are basically grey with black vertical bands . females also have bright gold markings on the belly and on the dorsal and anal fins . the species is also sexually dimorphic in terms of size , with females being smaller at up to 10 cm ( 4 inches ) noticeably smaller than the males , who get up to about 12 . 5 cm ( 5 inches ) in length . convicts are pugnacious , and noted for their ability to coexist successfully alongside much larger fish . they tend to bully the mild central american cichlids , but in sufficiently large aquaria will work well with the more territorial , small and medium - sized species . they are omnivores and consume both meaty and green foods .
the honduran red point convict , probably amatitlania siquia , is similar to the standard convict but is smaller and has distinctive red and green colouration in the fins . maintenance is much like the standard convict , but this species appears to be somewhat less aggressive .
archocentrus - mild mannered rainbows at least three species belong to this genus , but only one species , the rainbow cichlid archocentrus multispinosus , is commonly traded . it works well in community tanks , and is probably the best central american cichlids for beginners . as its name suggests , this species varies its colours with its mood . the body is generally yellow to brick red , but becomes very dark , almost black , when spawning . archocentrus are omnivores , and offerings of both crustaceans and green foods will help them develop their best colours .
the mojarra or mayan cichlid cichlasoma urophthalmus is a big species at up to 40 cm ( 16 inches ) in length . it is one of the species most strongly associated with brackish water conditions , and wild fish show a distinct preference for coastal lagoons . under aquarium conditions it does not need to be kept in brackish water . it is aggressive , and should be kept alone or with equally robust species , though care should be taken to avoid species too similar in shape or colouration , as such fish will tend to bring out its worst behaviour . its sheer size demands a massive aquarium : singletons won’t tolerant other cichlids in anything under 375 litres ( 100 gallons ) and breeding pairs will need a tank twice that size if you want to avoid carnage ! the mojarra is often confused with a south american cichlid cichlasoma festae . when the two are compared , cichlasoma festae has a smaller eyespot on the tail fin but more intense red colouration .
herichthys - texas cichlids there are at least ten species in the genus herichthys but only two are normally traded . historically there has been much confusion between these two species , herichthys carpintis and herichthys cyanoguttatus , with both fish being known as texas cichlids . in fact only herichthys cyanoguttatus is naturally found in texas , specifically the rio grande , as well as mexico . telling the two species apart is difficult , but in general herichthys cyanoguttatus is covered with much smaller blue - white spots than herichthys carpintis . body colour in both cases can vary dramatically with mood , though it is typically some shade of blue , often with dark vertical bands . herichthys are omnivores that consume some plant matter alongside small crustaceans , worms and insects . they are reasonably well behaved fish in communities alongside other robust cichlids , but do become extremely aggressive when spawning .
these are medium - sized cichlids at up to 20 cm ( 8 inches ) in length though often rather less . they are omnivores , with wild fish consuming both plants and animal foods , particularly algae and insect larvae . they are notoriously aggressive at breeding time , but by the standards of central american cichlids generally , not especially aggressive the rest of the time . they work well in communities of robust cichlids , given sufficient space and hiding places .
occasionally you will see other species on sale , such as thorichthys ellioti . apart from differences in colouration , these are essentially similar to the firemouth in terms of care . thorichthys ellioti in particular is very vividly coloured with bright blue spots over its body .
they grew pretty quickly . i fed them twice a day , and feeding was very easy . they pretty much ate anything that fell in front of their face . every other day i performed water changes of about ten percent to keep the chemistry up to par . by the end of the first year they were each about 3 inches long .
finally , one day i had noticed that two had paired off . they had all the others pinned in corners and fearing for their lives , so the following day i baged up the dominated fish , and traded them in for some baby brine and earthworm flakes before they met an untimely death by the newly territorial and greedy pair . within days i noticed the couple cleaning one of the flat stones . i also noticed that the female’s breeding tube was visible , a sign that eggs are soon to come . she laid about 100 small . tan - colored eggs the following day . it happened to be my day off , and i was excited that she had laid her first batch of eggs , little did i know that the pleco decided he had an appetite for caviar . the inexperienced soon - to - be parents tried to keep the intruder away , but the pleco was determined to have his fancy meal . the damage done , i relocated the pleco to my african cichlid tank .
she had another batch of eggs 3 weeks later . this time they were better prepared , and with no armored , sucker - mouthed egg eaters in their tank , they were on the road to success . these fish are very good parents once they get the hang of it ! they guarded their offspring ferociously , even attacking the gravel tube as i tried to clean the substrate . when they were big enough , i moved the fry i could catch to a seperate 20 high . about 50 fry made it to be traded and sold from that batch .
i don’t consider sajicas a very vibrant species , though they are attractive in their own way . they remind me a lot of the a . spilurus , with their shimmering blue eyes . maybe their most striking feature is the blue throat developed by both males and females as they mature . males attain an adult size of 5 inches and females about 3 . 5 to 4 inches . with caution they may be kept with community fish , but they are almost always aggressive towards others of their own kind . i would say the minimum tank size for an adult pair would be a 29 gallon . i would highly recommend this species to someone who would like to try something other than a convict cichlid . they breed easily and are really fun to watch as they spawn and raise their fry . if you have any questions about them , please let me know in the comments section !
you may know better than i if this is indeed a baby t - bar . it is about 1 inch long right now . it was thrown in by accident with some guppies i purchased .
i have a group of 7 of which 2 paired off at 3 - 4 inches . pretty fish but i can not tell if the are t - bars or blue - eye cichlids . they look great and started coloring up at 2″ . one of the pair the male has a red dorsal fin and the female has a yellow one . separated them into a 26 gallon with the same cave that they had taken over in the previous tank and they established a nest immediately .
that fish place’s resident “cichlid pro . ” in addition to working at tfp for 13 years , jose’s been breeding cichlids for over 14 years and has produced over 200 different species . jose is the man to question for everything cichlid . check out jose’s work in the article : keeping and breeding african cichlids in small aquariums , and his many other contributions on cichlid husbandry , behavior , and his personal experiences with keeping cichlids from across the globe .
eileen daub : hi sam , fishing with goldfish is illegal due to the risk of . . .
chris mcclelland : hello , i have had success raising green sunfish in an aquari . . .
sam earlyfall : is it only cruel to put them on a hook and then fish with th . . .
eileen daub : hi sara , i wouldn ' t expect cilantro / coriander to be safe sub . . .
eileen daub : hello name , red tail sharks don ' t lay egg sacs . if you can g . . .
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tank size - max . 40 liter max . 60 liter max . 80 liter max . 100 liter max . 150 liter max . 200 liter max . 250 liter max . 300 liter max . 400 liter max . 500 liter > 500 liter
social behavior : a territorial , pair forming cichlid . a relatively peaceful , sometimes shy fish which does not molest plants .
decoration : tank with a sandy bottom ; hiding places of stones and roots ; perhaps plant the edge and the background with tough species .
description : this is the cousin of the convict cichlids . the t - bar cichlid when they are juveniles do not display any particular colouration except some black bands over a grey colouration . this might discourage the beginner to acquire such species which they do not have the dramatic black - on - gray colouration of their common cousins . their juvenile drab brown base color will develop shades of yellow and blue , with intense blue and red sparkles on fins for males and more yellow sparkles on the fins of females .
males grow markedly larger and develop a steep forehead with age . the tips of the dorsal and anal fin are elongated , forming an arch towards the inside that frames the caudal fin . the genital papilla is pointed . the females are considerably smaller , and their genital papilla is blunt . the species digs at spawning time . cave spawner ; nuclear family or in transition to a patriarch - matriarch family .
around 26 °c reproduction is not difficult , but there are sometimes problems . the animals almost always ( if available ) spawn in caves . the eggs are quite small , whitish to brownish transparent ( camouflage coloration ) , and number up to 300 . the larvae hatch in 3 days at 26 °c , and the fry are free - swimming in an additional 5 - 7 days . primarily the female is in charge of brood care ; the male takes care of territorial defense . sometimes the roles are reversed . raising the young has its problem since usually only one part of the spawn grows normally . the majority stagnate in growth . feed with artemia nauplii .
last edited by rkm . sbc on tue nov 17 , 2015 7 : 23 am , edited 1 time in total .
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