Despite their demonic name, Satanoperca can be angelic aquarium residents. Radek Bednarczuk introduces a larger but amicable cichlid.
A CLOSE LOOK AT the eartheaters of the genus Satanoperca may evoke several mental images—the following being some of the favourites I’ve heard over the years.
Fish with a horse's head. Hmm, yes to the equine look, actually. In adult fish, the head in relation to the body does look striking, and with minimal imaginative effort it can indeed resemble that of a horse. Another term for these cichlids is ‘vacuum cleaner fish’. There is some truth to this association, too. On the whole, they do spend most of the day burrowing in the bottom, digging through it thoroughly, and blasting up dust in their wake.
For anglers, at a casual glance both the appearance and behaviour of Satanoperca may bring to mind the popular perch. That’s not too much of a coincidence, if you look at the scientific name: Satano is Latin for ‘Devil’, while perca simple means ‘perch’. The Devil’s perch.
One aquarium hobbyist once expressed to me that the large mouth, prominent lips and large, trusting eyes gave the observer the impression that these fish were smiling. Maybe there’s something in that as well!
So, that's the Satanoperca for you. What's not to like?
Meeting mapiritensis
I’d like to introduce a less common species: Satanoperca mapiritensis. And it may also shock some of you to learn that perhaps the fish you keep in your tanks might not the popular Satanoperca leucosticta, but rather S. mapiritensis, the two being frequently confused. I’ll return to this later.
At present the genus Satanoperca consists of 10 scientifically described species: S. acuticeps; S. curupira; S. daemon; S. jurupari; S. leucosticta; S. lilith; S. mapiritensis; S. pappaterra; S. rhynchitis; and S. setepele. All inhabit the warm, soft, tannin-rich, and usually calm, lazily-flowing waters of South America.
Those most regularly found in the aquarium trade belong to the so-called ‘non-spotted’ group. Typical examples are S. juruparii and S. leucosticta. For the ‘spotted’ ones, a popular representative is S. daemon. The rest of the described species are generally found as bycatch in the trade or are imported on request for the more ambitious hobbyists.
A simple set-up
Adult S. mapiritensis can exceed 12cm in length, with around 15cm being the largest they’ll grow. A 200 to 300-liter aquarium may suffice for a male and female pair, but for a group
