Mesonauta festiva (Cichlid Flag)

The male fins are a little longer. The genital papilla is the safest index, it is short and sharp in the male, longer and obtuses in the female.

The mesonauta festiva fish is a fish from the cichlidae family from the waters of the Amazon basin in South America. It is also known as festoon fish, festive parrot fish or festive arlequin fish.

The mesonauta festiva is a medium -sized fish, reaching about 12 cm long. Its shape is elongated and compressed laterally, with a wide head and a protractile mouth. Its dorsal fin is rounded and its caudal fin is a bifid. Her dress is very colorful, with irregular black and yellow spots on a green, blue or purple background. Males and females generally have different colors, males being more colorful and larger than females.

The Mesonauta Festiva lives in the fresh and shallow waters of the rivers, lakes and ponds of the Amazon. It feeds mainly on small crustaceans and invertebrates, but it can also eat plants and algae. It is a gregarious and territorial fish that lives in small groups and defends its territory against the intruders.

The Mesonauta Festiva is a very popular fish in aquarophilia, due to its beautiful color and its interesting social behavior. However, it is important to maintain it in an environment adapted to its needs, with temperatures between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius, a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 and a hardness of the water between 6 and 15 DGH. It is also important to provide it with food suitable for its natural diet. In general, the Mesonauta Festiva is a robust and easy -to -keep fish in aquarium, provided they respect its water and food needs.