(Efforts to re-establish the Rusty Belly Cichlid in the US hobby)

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All photos by Al Knowles

Regan described Amphilosphus atromaculatus in 1912. He originally named it Cichlasoma atromaculatus. The genius Cichlasoma was used for many Central and South American cichlids
until about fifteen years ago. It is native to the Choco province of Colombia. Choco is located between the western side of the Cordillera Occidental Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean. The reasons for this fish’s current status in the hobby are the dense jungle in this area, the lack of both roads and commercial collecting stations.

To obtain the fish, it would have to be by the efforts of some brave hobbyist. They would have to be willing to make the long and sometimes dangerous journey into a wonderful land of unseen beauty. In the early 1990s, a group of European hobbyists did just that. They made two such trips collecting Amphilosphus atromaculatus (Rusty Cichlid) in the Rio San Juan, Rio Trado, Rio Condoto and the Rio Pepe. Prior to this last trip, S. Kullander on February 7, 1989 obtained the fish from local boys in the area of the Rio San Pablo at the Pan-American Bridge.


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Young 4 inch Male

In the mid 1990s, the Rusty Cichlid was readily available in the US hobby. I obtained my first stock from a member of the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association. There were several members of the GCCA breeding the Rusty Cichlid at the time. The knock on the Rusty Cichlid was it had a shy demeanor and lack of color. The base color is beige with seven brown to black vertical bands. During breeding the coloration of the beige turns to a creamy white and the vertical bands intensify. I found that my females have a rusty orange color in the belly area (the “rusty belly” trade name) and a black blotch covering about ¼ of the dorsal fin.

My first success at breeding Rusty Belly Cichlid was actually by accident. While protecting my last pair during a freak winter storm, the “No Name Storm” we know it as now, produced low forty degree temps here in Florida with high winds and buckets and buckets of rain. I was housing the pair on my screened porch at the time since there was no place inside to house them. Finally, I resorted to placing a 300-watt heater in the tank and covering it with two blankets. My family thought I had lost my mind but we all managed to get through the famous "No Name Storm". Three days later, I removed the blankets to find the pair guarding eighteen eggs in an eight inch PVC pipe [Ed: hint...hint...hint]. I was happy about the spawn, but disappointed soon came with the number of eggs and the eventual fungusing of 80% of the eggs. That pair never spawned again. The eggs hatched and the small number of juveniles was divided among me, a good friend Vinny Kutty and a local cichlid farmer, Don Conkel.


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Infertility problem but not too bad.

A year later I was left with two males and a female gift from Vinny, as Vinny prepared to move to California. I believe Don Conkel was able to produce a couple of spawns before he lost his stock, but with such a low demand for the fish in the hobby, most people lost interest in the fish. As time passed and more exciting fish entered the US, Amphilosphus atromaculatus seemed lost to the hobby.

Seven years flew by and I was left with only Vinny’s female, fully grown at eight inches and in good health. From time to time I would locate some one with a lone male, but could not work out an agreement to obtain it. Finally, two years ago (2002) an agreement was struck with a friend out of Chicago to obtain his male. In return he would get half of the first spawn.

I picked up the seven inch male at the ACA convention in Atlanta. When I returned home, my first concern was if the pair would be compatible. It took me fully a month to finally put the two fish together. The male was introduced into the 135-gallon tank that the female who shared the tank space with several other South American cichlids. I had to select a time in which I would be home to supervise this “blind date”. Chances of getting either of these two 'old' warriors to spawn again were very slim. The date went surprising well however and within a week they were swimming together and seemed to take over the tank.

Two weeks later they spawned. Now I faced the age-old breeder's question. Do you pull the eggs or not? I pulled them! The spawn was about 70 eggs, but the hatch rate was about 40%. I was again disappointed in the numbers but relished the fact of having free swimming Amphilosphus atromaculatus once again in Tampa and the US.


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Massive Infertility Problem

Rusty Belly Cichlid fry have an unusual pattern. I call it a “zebra pattern”, where the markings consist of two dark bands running diagonally through the body. I’m only aware of two other cichlids with similar fry patterns. They are Tomocichla tuba and Tomocichla asfaci.


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'Tiger' Pattern of fry.

The pair spawned again three weeks later. This time it was larger spawn, but again the hatch rate was low. I witnessed the spawning and it appeared everything was fine. The male did not leave the site to chase other fish until the spawning was completed. I do not have an explanation for the infertility, other than both fish were over nine years old. During each spawn the female laid the eggs in a wide scattered pattern on the slate. Most cichlids lay their eggs in a tight circular patch, not the Rusty Belly Cichlid. After three spawns with the same results, I was resigned to the fact that more time would be needed to reintroduce this fish into the hobby in large numbers. Then tragedy struck!


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'Tiger' Pattern of fry.

One morning I turned on the lights to find the male acting very lifeless. There appeared to be a small puncture wound between his eyes and he did not eat. Everything else seemed fine. The female was her usual self. Things continued to go down hill for the male. He never ate again and soon found the "big aquarium in the sky". Several days later I was doing a major gravel cleaning and I found the small pointed section of the large drift wood branch in the tank that would just about fit in the male's wound. Is this what caused the wound on the male? I’ll never know for sure, but what a shame as I had lost a friend.

It would seem my efforts to reintroduce Amphilosphus atromaculatus have been delayed, hopefully some day soon you will be able to obtain this rarity. I was able to distribute about a hundred fish to various hobbyists. Also, still swimming in my tanks are Vinny’s female (the mother) and about thirty of her young juveniles. The rest of the Rusty Belly Cichlid saga is continued, hopefully.

Keep the PEACE!

References

Andersen, Kaj (1993) Colombia, a paradise for cichlophiles part 2. The Cichlids Yearbook, Volume 3 pages 88-90.

Andersen, Kaj (1994) Colombia: back to paradise, The Cichlids Yearbook, Volume 4 pages 78-83.

Ichthyology Section of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Collection Database, August 2002.