Retroculus lapidifer

Remarks:  Retroculus lapidifer is an absolutely stunning member of its genus that is highly sought after by cichlid enthusiasts. While young fish are mostly silver or tan, mature males and females are a rainbow of color. Their base color takes on a silvery hue covered in iridescent blue-green scales, dotted with gold speckling making them shine even more. The fins also will display orange, red, and yellow hues as a perfect accent to their body colors. Some identifying markings displayed by mature Retroculus lapidifer are the black spot on the middle back half of the dorsal fin and the two diagonal blue lines that run through and under the eye. Breeding fish get even more dramatic with their lips, underside, and ventral fins turning black. It can take up to a year for Retroculus lapidifer to mature and show full color, but it is well worth the wait.

  Retroculus species are rarely seen in the hobby due to a number of factors making their importation very costly. Freight from their native ranges, that of Retroculus lapidifer being the Rio Tocantins and Rio Araguaia systems in northeastern Brazil, is already very costly. Add on the fact that these fish are very sensitive to water quality and therefore cannot be packed in high densities, and it is easy to see why wild specimens carry such a hefty price tag. While captive breeding has been done, it also can be very costly as Retroculus need large aquariums due to their large size with heavy maintenance to maintain pristine conditions.

  As previously stated, Retroculus are not considered an easy species to keep when it comes to water quality tolerance. In the wild, they inhabit fast-flowing rocky rapids that provide them with pollutant free, heavily oxygenated, soft, acidic, water. They are highly specialized to these conditions, even lacking a functional swim bladder to instead hop around on the substrate to avoid having to swim in the fast currents. Retroculus are highly social and will live in large shoals, feeding on benthic organisms like small crustaceans and insect larvae they sift from the substrate.

  The best way to ensure your Retroculus are able to thrive within your aquarium, they need their natural habitat mimicked and to be treated like a rapids-dwelling Geophagus. Despite not being closely related to Geophagus and actually belonging to their own subfamily of Retroculinae, they have a similar body shape and feeding style. To avoid choking and possibly even outright refusal to eat, Retroculus should be kept on a substrate of fine, soft sand. Gravel is a potential choking risk and can damage their sensitive gills if they attempt to feed from it. The tank itself should also be very large so it can help dilute pollutants and allow for a current to be established using equipment like wavemakers. Lots of current, weekly water changes, and heavy filtration are all necessary to support the health of your Retroculus as they keep conditions pristine and dissolved oxygen levels high.

   Keeping your Retroculus in a larger tank is also needed to support their social nature. If not kept in groups of at least 5-8 individuals, not only will this cause your Retroculus to become stressed and skittish, it can have them kill the smaller, less dominant members of their school. Larger numbers take less of the focus off those lower in the pecking order and helps encourage more natural behaviors. Dither fish like Leporinus and larger tetras able to withstand a current make great tankmates for Retroculus and can even make them be bolder. Just be sure tankmates are not small enough to be swallowed and are not overly aggressive. While these cichlids are generally very peaceful, they still will swallow things small enough to fit in their mouths. Retroculus do not typically eat aquarium plants, but they can still present a hazard to them. This is because their earth-eating feeding style can have them uproot plants in the substrate. Instead, opt for plants that attach to structures like Anubias sp. and java fern to create a beautiful aquascape for these breath-taking cichlids.