fishface29 Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) Hi all. Just picked up some Ameca splendens from a LFS yesterday (I broke the cardinal rule and bought them before researching!). I saw them in a large display tank and had never seen them before, and so went ahead and bought 1 male and 2 females. I understand they are very rare in the wild and are very interesting live-bearers, but other than what I've seen on the net, I don't really know anything about them. Anyone kept them before? I have them in a 20 gallon naturally planted tank right now, but have larger tanks that I can swap them into when they grow larger. Edited March 3, 2011 by fishface29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 They're good at eating hair algae, they're live bearers, they're fast, IME they're nippy to other fish. I got rid of them 'cause they were giving my Cichlids a hard time...lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Agreed, they're not the nicest fish and probably only good as a species tank. Give birth to huge fry and that's got to hurt. However, good at eating hair algae and I like the stripes on males tails.. But I got out them too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanGofCalgary Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 (edited) I think they would be ok with some of the other 'nasty' goodeids, like the Orange tail goodeid. They can hold their own in a conflict. I will be bringing a pair to each of the Edmonton and Calgary auctions. Edited March 4, 2011 by DanGofCalgary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 I like my Amecas. They are Goodies. Your trio will do well in a 20. What else is in there? One has no trouble finding out their "bad" points. I will share some of the "goods" Foremost, this fish is unequalled in robustness. If you manage to get it all wrong - they will forgive you. Mine have survived short stints under 10 C and also periods up to 40 C. The streams in Jalisco are low flow and high altitude, and as such temp. flucs. are the norm , , , no need to heat the tank. Although they are primarily vegatarian they will eat just about everything; excluding fry. This is a golden attribute for any fish. In a community, parents (and non-parents alike) even disregard fry of other fish. I have heard however that they will eat shrimp - but hey - who doesn't ? Other dietary observations should include their constant pecking. They actively rasp evrything in the aquarium, non-stop ! This helps turn the substrate and dislodge algae. They WILL eat BGA. I summer mine in an outdoor pond. If I stuff it with plants the Amecas will thrive and breed without feeding. Feel free to post as many questions as you like , , , I could speak Ameca all day. :smokey: Parting shot - change the water @ least once a week - that alone will double the overall eventual size. Soon you will see this. And the result ( with trophotaenia ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface29 Posted March 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks for the info everyone. Jewels, I have a dozen glowlight tetras in the tank right now with the Amecas and they are cool so far, but from the sounds of it, they will start to cause trouble as they grow. I will likely take the tetras out then and put them in one of my other tanks...no problem there. I thought I had 2 females and one male, but it looks like I got 2 males and one female. The second male has female colouration right now, but is smaller than the other 2 so likely just doesn't have its adult colouration yet. It does not have the yellow bar on the edge of the caudal fin, but does have the double lobed anal fin. I'll probably just go back to the store and try to swap it out as they had loads of fish in the display tank. I'm very happy that they are such heavy grazers. My planted tanks generally don't have lots of algae, but I always get some algae growth as the days get warmer and I get some sunlight on the tanks. They seemed to start foraging within minutes of being introduced into the tank. And very cool that you keep them in an outdoor pond in the summer. Is it a big pond and do you have to do anything to keep the water cool in the summer? I'd love to do a pond, but I have a smallish yard and a dog that would love nothing more than to have a pond to jump in! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Tetras can be nasty in their own right - perhaps they are meant for each other! I thought I had 2 females and one male, Fry can be sexed after a month. Ignore the tail - if there is a lobe on the fin , , ,its a male . Is it a big pond and do you have to do anything to keep the water cool in the summer? I'd love to do a pond, but I have a smallish yard and a dog that would love nothing more than to have a pond to jump in! lol OHH, NO ,NO not a big pond. This is something even an apartment dweller could indulge in. If you think it looks like an old laundry sink your right. There is a 'Subterranean sump' under there and it is mostly in the shade. This keeps the temps fairly even. I have kept them out well into October before. But the fish are happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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