Orinoco basketmouth

Acaronia vultuosa

Also known as Vultuosa basketmouth

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 5.5–7.2
Adult size: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Orinoco basin
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The Orinoco basketmouth is a large-eyed ambush predator with an extendable mouth, best kept alone or as a single pair. It hangs in the middle water among plants and wood, waiting to inhale passing prey, and it is aggressive enough that tankmates need choosing with care: keep it only with fish too big to be swallowed. Feed meaty foods such as prawn, mussel, earthworms and large pellets, and expect it to hunt any small fish you add. Give it a tank of at least 300 liters, well planted and stocked with wood, over soft to neutral water where it can lurk and wait.

In the wild

Acaronia vultuosa comes from the Orinoco basin, where it lurks among plants in shallow, weedy lagoons and slow backwaters. It prefers warm, soft to neutral water: a temperature range of 24–28 C and a pH of 5.5–7.2. Fill the tank with dense planting, driftwood and leaf litter over a soft floor, with still to gently moving water, giving an ambush hunter the cover it uses to stay hidden until prey drifts close.

Good to know

Acaronia vultuosa belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 15 centimeters. It was described by Kullander in 1989. Like its relatives it is an ambush predator with a strongly protrusible mouth that shoots forward to suck in prey, the trait behind the basketmouth name. It is a substrate spawner that guards its eggs and fry, and breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Did you know

The species name vultuosa comes from the Latin for a grimacing, expressive face, a nod to the dark bars that run through the eyes and across the cheeks, leaving this big-eyed fish with a permanently stern, scowling look.