Uaru (Triangle Cichlid)

Uaru amphiacanthoides

The *Uaru amphiacanthoides* is one of the most iconic and unusual South American cichlids, celebrated by connoisseurs and often avoided by beginners due to its unconventional appearance and specialized care. It possesses a massive oval body (up to 25-30 cm / 10-12 inches) of a sand or umber brown color, furrowed in the center by a gigantic and unique ink-black wedge-shaped spot, with piercing orange-gold eyes. Considered one of the most 'intelligent' cichlids ever (second only to the Oscar), the Uaru is famous for its melancholy gaze and surprisingly peaceful and shy temperament, combined with a strictly herbivorous biology.

Family: Cichlidae
Origin: Sud America (Acque chiare e nere del bacino del Rio delle Amazzoni e Rio Negro, Brasile e Guyana)
Tank use: Used in 0 tanks

Temperature

27 °C - 30 °C

5 - 7

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Zona media e inferiore. Si aggirano maestosamente tra i tronchi d'albero in perenne perlustrazione.

Adult size

25 cm

Description

Cub Metamorphosis (Reverse Mimicry):

One of the most spectacular things about Uarus is the drastic juvenile color change. The cubs (often for sale in stores at 4 cm / 1.5 inches) DO NOT look at all like their earth-colored parents with the black spot. Young Uarus are covered in an intricate and dense camouflage pattern with high contrast white and dark brown patches (they look like the texture of a rotten wooden stump or floating leaf debris), to defend themselves from predators up to 10 cm (4 inches).

Care and observations

Survival Warning (Amber Water and Quality):

Uarus are not fish for beginners. They tolerate hard tap water very poorly and will not survive in tanks with high nitrates (immediately developing HITH, Hole In The Head). They are strictly 'Blackwater' fish: the aquarium MUST be kept acidic and heavily dyed brown by tannins from bogwood and foliage (Catappa). They require monumental filtration and gigantic tanks (over 400 liters / 100 gallons) given the colossal size of the school.

Voracious Folivores (Forget Plants):

They are literally the nightmare of any aquatic plant. In nature they eat fruit fallen into the water and mangrove leaves. In the aquarium they will destroy and digest even the toughest aquatic plants (Anubias). The aquarium must be furnished solely and exclusively with gigantic intertwined pieces of dark wood, without intense light.

Protein Mortality:

Since their stomach has evolved to digest jungle leaves, feeding them daily with animal prey (bloodworms, tubifex, krill or beef heart for discus) will kill them slowly through constipation or fatty liver. You must feed them by hooking whole blanched lettuce leaves and zucchini to the aquarium glass every day.

Fish profile

Temperament: Estremamente pacifico e spesso intimorito. I giganti del gruppo si nasconderanno al buio se l'acquario è troppo luminoso o ha compagni aggressivi. Estremamente gregari: un Uaru tenuto da solo morirà di depressione e stress.
Diet: Folivoro / Erbivoro rigoroso. In natura mangiano frutti caduti in acqua, spugne d'acqua dolce e foglie della giungla. In acquario, oltre a ottimi pellet alla spirulina, vanno ingozzati letteralmente di vegetali freschi o sbollentati quotidianamente (lattuga romana, spinaci, zucchine, cetrioli). Una dieta troppo ricca di proteine animali li ucciderà bloccando l'intestino.
Tank level: Zona media e inferiore. Si aggirano maestosamente tra i tronchi d'albero in perenne perlustrazione.
Minimum group: 4
Adult size: 25 cm
Minimum tank: 400 L
GH: 1 dGH - 8 dGH
KH: n/a
TDS: n/a
Conductivity: n/a
Sex ratio: Gruppi in branco. Quasi impossibile distinguere i sessi al di fuori della deposizione (le papille genitali si scoprono). I maschi dominanti sono talvolta leggermente più grandi.
Feeding frequency: 2 volte al giorno, lasciando vegetali freschi agganciati in vasca per il brucaggio continuo.
Bioload: Altissimo (data la stazza enorme e l'alimentazione erbivora che genera enormi quantità di feci).
Flow: Corrente Nulla o Lieve. Prediligono la totale calma idrica delle foreste inondate del Rio Negro.
Reproduction: Difficilissima in acquario. Depongono le uova in buche o su rocce pulite, difendendo tenacemente (diventando violenti). Una particolarità unica (simile ai Discus) è che i genitori Uaru producono un muco cutaneo altamente nutriente che i minuscoli avannotti si attaccano a mangiare letteralmente dal fianco dei genitori per le prime settimane di vita.
Compatibility: Mantenimento perfetto con Symphysodon (Discus), Geophagus, Severum (Heros), Mesonauta e Corydoras in un biotopo Rio Negro. Evitare assolutamente grandi Ciclidi turbolenti, veloci o aggressivi (Oscar, Green Terror) che li sottometterebbero terrorizzandoli.

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.