TEQUILA SLAMMERS!
A conservation win for the fishkeeper, the Tequila splitfin is a bloodline that you too could preserve.
FROM TIME to time, subtle beauty passes by unseen. Lacking the whimsical features of domestic guppies, or the bright block colour of swordtails and co., the Tequila splitfin is straight to the point. To be frank, I might even describe it as a serious livebearer. The taxonomic name is Zoogoneticus tequila. The generic name is Latin: ‘Zoon’, for little animal and ‘genesis’, meaning to produce, this probably in reference to its viviparous (livebearing) nature. Tequila was selected as a display of reverence to the Tequila volcano, near to where the fish is found in the wild. And both the volcano and the fish have long faced a similar problem — extinction.
Between 2010 and 2014, the Tequila splitfin was declared extinct in the wild, with habitat degradation, droughts and invasive alien species all playing a role. Tilapia, Oreochromis spp., Common carp, Cyprinus carpio, and Twospot livebearers, Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus, are notable inclusions.
Luckily though, the efforts of zoos, universities and similar minded bodies facilitated a reintroduction programme to the Teuchitlan springs. Luckily for the locals living in the area, the Volcano has remained extinct.
Good fortunes
The Tequila splitfin was a fortunate fish. In particular, it was fortunate in that care of the species is so straightforward. Many populations have been maintained before, during and after its wild reintroduction, in Europe and the USA.
Unlike the hoards of livebearing fishes we are accustomed to seeing in dealers’ tanks, Zoogoneticus is not bred en-masse, and instead, stocks come from typically small, hobbyist produced populations. This carries with it a number of advantages. The first of these is that small-scale breeders tend to produce tough, strong fish, fish which haven’t been forced to grow quickly (and quickly reach a sellable size) under unnatural conditions. You’ll find they tolerate pathogens better too. Mouth rot (Flavobacterium sp.) and similar bacterial diseases hex an unsavourily huge proportion of the imported fish we see. A wide margin is tolerated when it comes to aquarium parameters too. Seldom would I recommend a pH on the acidic side to be suitable for livebearers, but the Tequila splitfin will drop down to 6.7pH without too may worries, though something just above neutral would be better.
For temperature, somewhere between 21-26°C will be ideal, with a cooler winter period appreciated by adults; 16-18°C will suffice. This prevents a tiresome and ongoing breeding spree — such libidinous endeavours can tire both sexes and lead to premature ageing.
Setting up
Go for a tank of 70 litres or more. Decorate it as you see fit. In the natural habitat, rocky and sandy substrates make up the bulk of aquatic scenery, with emersed and submersed vegetation jotted around. Plants can be utilised to good effect as well as driftwood and boulders. Breeders may opt for swathes of moss or artificial breeding mops as a way of protecting newly born fry. Tankmates are somewhat limited, as their boisterous, mildly predatory behaviour seldom ends well for smaller fish. Long, flowing fins will be tattered. Instead, consider mediumsized Central American cichlids or catfish such as Synodontis.
On a more positive note, the carnivorous tendencies make feeding time that bit more fun. Live foods are hunted down with precision, whilst flakes and pellets are taken with near equal gusto.
Breeding couldn’t be much more straightforward. As with guppies, platies and mollies, the males have developed a specially modified anal fin known as a gonopodium. Whilst the gonopodium of the aforementioned is more ‘sword shaped’, that of Zoogenticus appears to have been split down the centre, resulting in its super-duper imaginative common name.
50 days is an average gestation period, but largely at the mercy of temperature. Higher temperatures result in a shorter period and vice versa. Fry come out large, but still small enough to be fair game for conspecifics and even parents. Thus, gravid females should be removed when ready to give birth, to a breeding tank or livebearer trap. The fry grow quickly on flake and small livefoods and can be reintroduced to the adults at a couple of months old.