Red-breasted Akara

Letakara Dorsigera or Red-breasted Akara, scientific name Laetacara dorsigera, belongs to the Cichlidae family. Peaceful American cichlid. It is not demanding in terms of keeping conditions and is compatible with many other freshwater fish species, which makes it a good candidate for a home aquarium.

Habitat

It comes from South America from the territory of Bolivia and western Brazil from the Guapore River basin, which is a natural border between these two countries. The fish inhabit sections of rivers with a slow flow, calm backwaters with a sandy bottom littered with fallen tree leaves and numerous snags.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 80 liters.
• Temperature – 20-28°C
• Value pH — 5.0–7.5
• Water hardness – 2–15 dGH
• Substrate type – sandy
• Lighting – subdued or moderate
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement – little or no
• The size of the fish is about 5 cm.
• Food – any food
• Temperament – peaceful
• Content in a pair or group

Description

Adults reach a length of up to 5 cm. The color combines gray and red-blue shades. The back is dark, the belly is red, thanks to which the fish got one of its names. Fins and tail with blue dots. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. Males differ from females in a somewhat elongated and pointed anal fin. Otherwise, there are no obvious visible differences.

Food

Omnivorous species. The home aquarium will accept most popular foods, such as dry flakes, pellets, live or frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms, etc. The diet should be varied and combine several types of foods with herbal supplements, such as spirulina flakes.

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal size of an aquarium for a flock of 5-6 fish starts at 80 liters. The design is quite simple and includes: sandy soil, a few snags and areas with dense thickets of plants. Fallen leaves of trees at the bottom will add naturalness to the design, as well as give the water a brownish tint characteristic of natural reservoirs. Staining occurs as the leaves decompose and release tannins from them. Read more in the article “Which tree leaves can be used in an aquarium.”

The content of the Red-breasted Akara is within the power of even novice aquarists. It is enough to provide a suitable aquatic environment (temperature and hydrochemical composition) and regularly maintain and clean the aquarium. In most cases, these are: weekly procedures for replacing part of the water with fresh water, removing organic waste, equipment maintenance, etc.

Behavior and Compatibility

Peaceful calm fish. Compatible with other non-aggressive species of comparable size. Fish from the same habitat, for example, many Kharatsins, can become excellent neighbors. They prefer to be in a small group or at least in a pair.

Breeding / breeding

Under favorable conditions (high water quality and a varied diet) and with suitable partners, the Letakara Dorsigera regularly breeds. With the onset of the mating season, the male and female form a pair and choose a place for spawning. It can be any flat and cleaned surface, for example, a flat stone. The female lays several dozen eggs. Both parents stay by the clutch and protect it from any potential danger. Care continues after the appearance of fry.

Fish diseases

The main cause of diseases lies in the conditions of detention, if they go beyond the permissible range, then immunity suppression inevitably occurs and the fish becomes susceptible to various infections that are inevitably present in the environment. If the first suspicions arise that the fish is sick, the first step is to check the water parameters and the presence of dangerous concentrations of nitrogen cycle products. Restoration of normal/suitable conditions often promotes healing. However, in some cases, medical treatment is indispensable. Read more about symptoms and treatments in the Aquarium Fish Diseases section.