[Jason_S]

Species Name: Thorichthys sp. 'Mixteco Blue'

Common Name: Blue Mixteco cichlid

Size: ~3-4" for females and ~4-5" for males

pH:7.0 - 7.6 in nature, though this species is very tolerant of a wide range of parameters. Provided they are properly acclimated, this species can thrive in a slightly higher pH. Mine are kept in water with pH of 8.2.

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons for 1 pair or 40 gallons for a small colony

Native Location: Central American rivers/lakes.

Temperature: 72-76F (Overall health may decline at temps above 76F)

Diet: omnivore (In nature, a large portion of the diet of this species consists of invertebrates and livebearer fry). The best diet would consist of a staple cichlid pellet (I recommend Hikari and New Life Spectrum from personal experience) with treats of live/frozen/freeze dried bloodworms, blackworms, meal worms, krill, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, etc. Care should be taken not to overfeed this species as overfeeding will lead to bloat. This is especially important if you keep a group of them. The dominant male of the group can and will eat much more than his fair share. I lost the dominant male in my group of Mixteco Golds to bloat caused by him over-eating.

Breeding: Both male and female will guard and clean a spawning location. Female will lay the eggs which are then fertilized by the male. The female will then guard the immediate area while the male patrols the outer area.

Gender Differences: Males will have longer extensions on dorsal and anal fin and the tips of these fins will also be more pointed than the rounded fins of the female. Also, females will develop a black/dark blue blotch in the middle of the dorsal fin.

Aggression: Typically not aggressive or overly territorial except when breeding. Even during breeding however, they will most likely only chase away intruders and chances are no damage will be inflicted. These guys are more 'bark' than 'bite'.

Notes: This is a relatively new species to the hobby. This species is still waiting to be officially described and assigned a proper scientific name. As with all other Thorichthys spp. this fish will do best if kept in large groups as juveniles. Eventually, the best setup is to have a 40 gallon tank with 2-3 pairs of Mixteco Blue. Livebearers of some type are also a welcome addition as their presence will let the Mixteco Blues know there are no large predators in the area. I originally had my pair in a 20 gallon tank by themselves. Both fish hid most of the time, only coming out for food. After adding 7 twin-bar platys, the pair apparently felt much more comfortable in the tank and they now swim proudly and confidently around the whole tank. The male's coloration also improved considerably.

Different Thorichthys spp. can and will hybridize together so be very careful if keeping more than one species together. It's very important for the hobby and the species that these guys be kept pure...especially with the recent discovery of this species and the Green and Gold Mixtecos as well.

***Special thanks to Rusty Wessel...a noted and well respected collector, author and breeder of many New World Cichlids--primarily of the Thorichthys genus. I have learned a lot from the different conversations I've had with him and from viewing his setups

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