Ilyodon lennoni. Vegi-matic
By Ted Guglielmo
March 2003. The Underwater News, a publication of the Pioneer Valley Aquarium
Society
Aquarticles
Ilyodon lennoni is a livebearer from the highlands in Mexico. They are in a
genus that includes the popular Ilyodon furcidens among others. They are a
goodeid livebearer. The anal fin is modified into a sexual organ. Unlike the Poeciliads
(guppies, platys etc) this organ is not needle like. Instead the anal fin of males looks
like it has a small bump in the middle. It makes sexing them a little trickier.
The coloration is overall beige with a single stripe down each side of the body. The
dorsal has a slight yellow tinge. The tail fin is speckled and alpha males have a yellow
and bluish edging. The fish reach 3-4 inches in size and are cigar shaped. They are tough
(as livebearers go). They make great dither fish for medium size cichlids (firemouths,
convicts etc). I had them in a species tank so I am not sure about other livebearers or
tetras.
I purchased these fish at the PVAS 2002 auction. I got a bag of 7 sub adults. They were
placed in a 10-gallon tank (no I don't recommend this. It's what I had open). They were
fed a diet of flakes, frozen bloodworms, the usual stuff. The tank was packed on one side
with Java moss. I have fairly hard water and really didn't alter it. These guys also don't
need a heater. The tank was kept at room temperature (68F in the winter to 80F in summer)
all year round.
About 3 weeks after getting them I noticed a pregnant female. A few weeks passed and I
noticed some fry in the tank. They were mostly hiding in the Java moss. As they got older
they started to come out, as they were too big to eat. I moved the parent group to a 20
long. It did not have Java moss. But the babies kept coming. The parents did not molest
them. I believe a theory that I have read and heard from many livebearer breeders. If the
adults get used to having fry in the tank and are well fed the babies will not be harmed
(not true in all cases however). They dropped fry every 45 days or so the most I got was
25.
Now the reason for the title. These fish love veggies. I take frozen peas and put them
in the water. After about 10 minutes squeeze them to let the meaty inside out. They will
also eat the outside but it is a little more difficult for them. They also took carrots,
corn, and boiled broccoli. Be sure to siphon out any uneaten veggies, as it will rot
quickly.
I highly recommend these fish along with all the Mexican livebearers, as many are
highly endangered or extinct in their natural environment. It is incumbent upon us to
preserve them, as it was we who polluted their ecosystem.
|