The flag cichlids (Mesonauta) are beautiful and peaceful, medium-sized cichlids that reach a length of 12-15 cm. In the wild they usually live together with angelfish (Pterophyllum), which they also resemble in terms of behavior and general requirements in the aquarium. As with the angelfish, the sexes are indistinguishable in younger animals. In older specimens, the males are larger and tend to develop a more imposing head. But basically you can never be sure whether you have a female or a suppressed male until the fish spawn. That’s why flag cichlids should always be kept in a group of 8-10 specimens where pairs can find each other.
Currently, 6 different Mesonauta species are recognized, some of which also develop local colour variants. Until the 1980s, all Mesonauta were thought to be the same species, which was called Cichlasoma festivum. This already shows that the different species look extremely similar. M. egregius comes from the Orinoco (Colombia and Venezuela). The most reliable way to determine the species is to stress it a bit. Then you can see that the vertical bands, which all Mesonauta show in fright coloration, are fused into broad spots in M. egregius.
For our customers: the animals have code 683322 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
