Dicrossus

The lyretail checkerboard cichlid, Dicrossus filamentosus, is a cichlid from the Rio Orinoco in Colombia and Venezuela and the Brazilian Rio Negro. Formerly placed in Crenicara, it shares Dicrossus with D. maculatus, which looks similar but lacks the lyretailed caudal fin. Shy by nature, it needs a well-planted, dimly lit tank with plenty of hiding places, and very soft, acidic water to breed.

The spadetailed checkerboard cichlid, Dicrossus maculatus, is a cichlid from the Rio Tapajós, Rio Maués and nearby areas of the Brazilian Amazon. Not commonly available in the trade, it is sometimes mistaken for D. filamentosus. A challenge to breed, it needs extremely acidic, very soft water for the eggs to hatch, and a brooding female herds her fry around the tank with signals from her ventral fins.