Uaru amphiacanthoides

[Dwarfs]

Hi, I'm new here, and I just picked up a healthy little Uaru 3 weeks ago. He's doing ok, eating almost anything I give him (including my java fern, java moss, and wisteria ) and he looks pretty good generally I belong to a few other forums but they weren't very helpful with this fish, some saying that they are harder to keep than discus! I have a good Idea on how to keep this fish happy, but i'd like some other peoples ideas and experiences with this awesome cichlid


Thanks, Dwarfs

[Death Angel]

Very cool fish. They like soft water. Black water is best. They love wood in the tank and need a lot of plant food. Lettuce is loved. I had 6 in a 125gl. They get big I had one that was 12". They will spawn if you keep the water and the food good.

[Death Angel]

They do well in groups of 6. I kept them with A Angels.

[dwjenks]

Dwarfs,

Hello.

I am really surprised your Uaru (pronounced Waroo) is eating your Java Fern as that plant is not palatable to them. I currently keep 6 Uaru A's in my 125 G. My advice is to keep them in a group of six. They are a great fish! Death Angel is correct, they nibble (actually peck) on Driftwood.

The main thing is to maintain a little higher water temp. I keep mine at 82 df, but some folks I know are keeping them at 86 df. They appreciate soft water, again I keep mine at 6.8 pH and 5KH and inject CO2 - my tank is fully planted. I add about 1/4 the black water extract that is recommended on the bottle - I use Kent - and have some Fluval Peat - I like that brand because it's pelletized and easier to measure out - again about 1/4 the recommendation on package, in one of my three canister filters. There is a little tanic visable but it is not as dark as some Discus tanks I've seen. Keep in mind that some diseases are more active and volatile in more soft/acidic water, especially HTH.

My Uaru do not eat the Java Fern, the Anubias (all types), the Crypts (all types) and my Swords (again all types), they even leave my Rotala Indica alone.

I feed them a very broad diet which includes a plethora of various cichlid pellet and flake - both carni, vegi, and 50/50, Shrimp pellets, Aquadine Duraflakes 50/50 (a great food!!) and a frozen combo of Bloodworms, Krill and Brine Shrimp. They also love Romaine lettuce - don't feed them Iceberg, it's usleess nutritionally. I tack the lettuce between the two halves of my magnet algae scrubber - it works as well as the leaf clips.

I suggest visiting The Uaru Forum (http://www.uaru-forum.com). That sight - which I am also a member - is full of info on keeping the Uaru A. and the Uaru F.

Goodluck. Maybe I'll see you at the Uaru Forum sometime soon!

Peace - dwj

[Dwarfs]

Thanks, my water stays at neutral and he seems pretty healthy. I think he was poorly fed at the store because now he is fat and doesn't touch my J-ferns He's on a very varied diet, both meat and veg, sounds like I'm doing well with him I'll be getting driftwood eventually, (My clown pleco and rubbernose pleco need some wood, moreso the clown)

Unfortunately I have no other Uaru available to me, but my little guy schools with the 6 juvinile rainbow cichlids and three juvinile Spotted climbing perch he shares the tank with, so he's ok. If I have any probs with him, I will definately join the Uaru forum.

When he gets larger I may move him into the same tank as my gold severum

(He is in a 55g tank with 6 Juvinile rainbow cichlids, 3 juvinile Ctenopoma acutirostre, a featherfin syno, a clown plec, a rubbernose plec, and a pearl gourami. The pearl and a few of the rainbows will be moved soon)

Thanks, Dwarfs

[dwjenks]

Dwarfs,

Where are you located? I can maybe find you some Uaru A's

[Dwarfs]

I'm in NY, but I don't think I can fit too many more Uarus into that tank anyway, and I doubt i'd be able to home 3-4 10" uarus I'll have to keep my eyes open the next time my dad and I go fish shopping to our good stores. (I got the uaru from a store with a very small selection, the Uaru was a very rare find in this store) If I do find another Uaru somewhere, we will most likely pick it up. My dad said he saw some Uarus n a store, but they had ick. They should be better by now

Here's a pic of my Uaru, sorry for the algae and water marks

[SanDiegoFishes]

I love Uaru's and currently have 5 (2 breeding pairs and a spare male) I keep mine in San Diego Tap water, which is pH 8.2 and very, very hard. I do not alter the pH or hardness in any way. My fish are extremely healthy, and both pairs spawn every week. I just got wigglers on Tuesday!
By the way, the UARU forum is great, come check it out.
http://uaru-forum.com/
Best, Barb