For the first time we can offer this predatory tetra as German bred ones! Hoplias malabaricus is one of the most widespread species of tetra in South America; it is therefore suspected that it is more likely to be a number of externally very similar, so-called cryptic species. The offspring was bred with a pair of wild-caughts from Brazil (unfortunately no closer catching area is known), the male is about 30 cm long, the female 28-29 cm. The male is 2.5-3 years old, the female about 2 years, the animals were not acquired together, but at intervals of about half a year. The aquarium is furnished with coarser sand, roots and robust plants (Cryptocoryne crispulata var. balansae).
Hoplias are very calm fish, lurking hunters who do not move much. The breeding animals are fed with smelt, sprats, mussels, worms, but meat is also popular. The water values in the breeding tank: Temperature 26°C, pH value 6 to 7.5 (with scarcely 6 they have spawned); otherwise Hoplias have no big demands on the water values.
Spawning takes place, as the breeder S. Schroers informs us, in the evening hours. The male digs a hollow in the ground, where the eggs (several thousand) are laid by the female. The male guards the nest and takes care of the brood. This can lead to quarrels between the parents. The male is very aggressive and irritable in this time.
The offspring specimens, which we can offer now, are currently 6-8 cm long and quite compatible with each other – provided there is enough food.
For our customers: the animals have code 258722 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Text: S. Schroers & F. Schäfer, Photos: Frank Schäfer
