How to keep Amphilophus citrinellus fish in an aquarium
Amphilophus citrinellus is a type of freshwater fish. Also known as the Midas cichlid, this fish lives in the San Juan River and nearby watersheds in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It is usually found in lakes and canals with rocky vertical sides and crevices used for spawning and protecting its young. It is rarely found in rivers but will penetrate lower river valleys where the water is slow flowing or calm.
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Actinopterygii
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlidae
Genus : Amphilophus
Species: A. citrinellus
Amphilophus citrinellus has an oval and flat body shape with long dorsal and caudal fins. This fish has a body color that varies from golden yellow to pink.
When we are going to keep Amphilophus citrinellus fish in the aquarium, there are several things that need to be considered so that these fish can live and grow well. Maintenance containers, water quality and feed are three important factors that need to be considered by ornamental fish hobbyists.
1. Rearing container.
Amphilophus citrinellus as a freshwater fish can be kept in an aquarium with the amount of water needed to maintain this fish is as much as 200 liters. Water plants and rocks can be installed in the aquarium to create an aquarium environment that is similar to the environment where Amphilophus citrinellus fish live in nature. In addition, plants and rocks installed in the aquarium also have a function to beautify and beautify the aquarium so that the aquarium is pleasing to the eye.
In the aquarium can be given aquarium lights, aquarium lights function as lighting so that you can see the fish, plants and rocks in the aquarium clearly. The aquarium lamp chosen to keep Amphilophus citrinellus fish is an aquarium lamp that has a medium level of lighting. The aquarium can also be aerated so that the dissolved oxygen content in the water increases. In addition to aerators you can also install a water filter to maintain good aquarium water quality.
2. Water quality.
To keep Amphilophus citrinellus fish, good water quality is very important. Some factors that need to be considered in keeping these fish are water pH, water temperature, water hardness, dissolved oxygen content, and water cleanliness.
Here are some things that can be done to maintain good water quality, namely monitoring water quality regularly, adjusting water pH to be in the range of 7-8, controlling water temperature to remain stable at around 25 degrees Celsius, controlling water hardness at around 12, ensuring sufficient dissolved oxygen content and maintaining water cleanliness by doing regular water changes.
3. Feed
Feed given to fish has several important functions, including producing energy for fish growth and metabolism, accelerating fish reproduction, forming body color in fish, improving fish fat metabolism and as a treatment for fish.
Feed for Amphilophus citrinellus fish can be in the form of live food, namely live worms.
In swimming habits, Amphilophus citrinellus fish swim at the bottom, middle and top of the aquarium surface. Amphilophus citrinellus fish reproduce by laying eggs and this fish can grow to a length of 20 cm.