Fish Care Tips

The Firemouth Cichlid is one of the many species of South American, or New World Cichlids. These fish got their name from the fiery coloration on the breast and throat.

The base color of the firemouth is blue gray with black blotches and brown fins lined with blue. The females are not as brightly colored as the males. All of these cichlids have coloration differences; it depends on the place of origin.

These fish can be found in Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. They are found in the middle to bottom of slow moving bodies of water. They tend to stay close to shore to feed on some meaty foods and algae.

These cichlids are able to be kept in a minimum 20 gallon tank. It is recommended to keep them in a 30 gallon or more with no more than 2 kept in the same tank. The ideal temperature for your tank is 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal Ph in your tank should be 6.5-8.0, and the ideal hardness should be 8-15 degrees.

Just like when they are in their place of origin in the tank they swim in the middle or lower part of the tank. Having fine sand in the bottom of the tank is ideal for them to burrow.

There needs to be some open room for swimming in the tank, but there should also be rocks for hiding. Plants that are recommended for this cichlid are the Sagittaria plants.

All in all, the firemouth is a peaceful fish, but when it comes time for spawning they may get aggressive. It is recommended to put only fish of the same size in the tank with this fish. Some recommendations of fish you can put with your cichlid are: Sharks, Scavenger Catfish, Loaches, other South American Cichlids or Plecos.

The firemouth will also usually become fairly territorial when spawning. The female carefully cleans the bottom of the tank before she deposits her eggs. They are kept in pits at the bottom of the tank and moved several times. With many species of cichlids, the male and female fire mouths both take care of the eggs. The female may raise several broods in the course of a year.

The Severum cichlid has become popular in pet trade as of late. These cichlids are very peaceful, although they may be too aggressive for a common community tank. They need to be kept with fish the same size as themselves.

These cichlids are also known as Banded Cichlids, and Hero Cichlids. There are two main colors of the Severum. The Gold Severum and the Green Severum. The Gold actually developed from the green Severum. The Green Severum is distinctive and has darker colored horizontal bands on the body where the Gold does not. Although rare, there are also blue variations of the Severum.

The Severum is a very beautiful fish, and it’s some what shy nature, makes it an ideal cichlid for your aquarium. This cichlid comes from the North Amazon region.

Aquarium Care: A tank of 55 gallons is ideal for a Severum. The average length of this cichlid is 8” but it is not un-common for the Severum to reach 12”. Severum aren’t as easily cared for as some other species of cichlids. The Severum is very sensitive to the water quality in their tank which means you must change your water frequently. Another must, is too check your water regularly for toxins. The nitrate level must be watched and kept to a minimum.

The filter must work effectively. Your tank should have open areas for swimming but also should have an adequate amount of hiding spots. Plants and upside-down flower pots are some good things that can provide your Severum with hiding. The recommended temperature is 72-83 degrees Fahrenheit with the Ph being between 5.0-6.5.

Feeding: Similar to that of other cichlids the Severum is carnivorous and does well on most foods. Cichlid pellets, flakes, frozen foods, green vegetables, and blood worms etc. are all good food for your Severum, brine shrimp is also a good feeding choice for your fish. The feeding of a Severum is probably the easiest element of taking care of them, they are not picky eaters.

Breeding: The Severums do not breed as readily as some other species of cichlids. Studies show the reasoning being that it is hard to distinguish between the male and female. It is best, if trying to breed, to put a male in the tank with several females. Like other cichlids, the Severum cichlids are egg layers and they prefer to spawn on a clean and horizontal surface.

The Red Devil Cichlid is one of the larger cichlids; it can reach up to 15” in length. The color of the Red Devil Cichlid varies greatly. Some are bright yellow; some are white and others red.

Along with the color of this fish, the structure varies some too. The Red Devil is very conscious of their owner. When you move your hand across the front of the tank he will follow it, same if you are cleaning your tank or feeding. Some other names this cichlid may be known by are the Lemon Cichlid and the Midas cichlid.

The Red Devil Cichlid is originally from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Now they can be found in Florida and Hawaii. The Red Devil Cichlid is very aggressive and has very violent tendencies.

Aquarium Care: A single Red Devil Cichlid should be kept in no less than a 55 gallon tank if adding more than one cichlid a 125 gallon tank is recommended. If you are wanting to keep more than 3 or 4 Red Devil Cichlids, then a 200 gallon tank would be ideal.

When setting up your aquarium the bottom would ideally consist of fine sand. It is important to leave room for your cichlid to swim around, with additional spaces for him to hide. Some rocks and plants are helpful. Make sure the plants and rocks are placed directly on the bottom glass, then the sand and rocks to keep them from floating to the top. These cichlids swim near the bottom and can be a digger. The ideal Ph for these fish is 6.5 to 7.0 and the temperature should be between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit with the hardness being fairly soft.

Feeding: The Red Devil Cichlid is omnivorous and will eat a wide a range of foods. This fish is mostly a meat eater but it will definitely need plant matter in its diet. You should regularly include boiled peas, lettuce, and other green vegetables. Primarily using a high quality pellet food is good, and then supplement with snails, earthworms, fish, and even insects.

Breeding: The Red Devil Cichlid spawns in the open. They like to spawn on inclined surfaces in the wild. In the tank, it is necessary to put a flat rock or sheet of glass down for the female to spawn on. She will typically lay around 800 eggs. These eggs are transparent and amber colored. The eggs hatch after about 3 days, and will feed on their parent’s skin for additional food. After roughly five days the fry will be large enough to start swimming. At this point you can start feeding them small live food.

With its beautiful coloring and peaceful disposition, the rainbow cichlid makes a wonderful aquarium fish. It is a hardy Central American cichlid. At maturity, is only grows to about 3 inches. Females are smaller and are rather dull in color compared the the male.

They are also capable of changing their color according to their moods. Rainbow Cichlids are unique in that they possess tricuspid teeth. These 3 teeth have earned the multispinosa its own genus, Herotilapia.

Aquarium: Rainbow Cichlids require a minimum tank size of 50 gallons with a fine gravel bottom. Rocks, wood and pottery are needed for hiding places. Also hardy, well rooted plants are recommended.

It can easily be kept with other cichlids such as convicts, firemouths, and parrots.

Water should be neutral with soft to medium hardness. pH approximately 7.0 and dH 5-10 with temperature of 75-82 degrees. Regular, partial water changes of at least 20% are appreciated.

Breeding: Rainbow Cichlid partners will form lasting pairs and make a neuclear family. They take good care of their young, but may eat some of them. They are open breeders and the female will drop 300+ pinkish-tan eggs on rocks and roots. Then the female will circulate water over the eggs by fanning them with her fins carefully guarding them in pits. Both male and female will turn almost black during this time.

Feeding: The Rainbow Cichlid is an omnivore and will eat most prepared and frozen food, including freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and ocean plankton, as well as flake food and cichlid pellets. Although peas and spirulina are sufficient staples of a varied diet and are usually consumed with much enthusiasm…

The Green Texas Cichlid, also known as the Pearlscale Cichlid, Blue Texas Cichlid, and Lowland Cichlid, is a very amiable fish. It can actually grow to a max of 12 inches in length if male, and females are always a bit smaller.

Habitat: The Green Texas Cichlid comes from Mexico mainly which confuses its name.

Aquarium care: Green Texas Cichlids need at least a 50 gallon tank. Much the same as other South American Cichlids they need hiding places in they’re tank also. If adding plants to your tank they will probably be uprooted as the fish like to dig. These fish are very adaptable to different water chemistries, although 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit, Ph of 7.0 and hardness being 15 degrees is ideal. Regular weekly water changes of about 50% are also recommended.

Medium to low lighting is also ideal for this cichlid. When trying to house your cichlid with other fish it would be best to house them with other aggressive fish that are the same size or bigger than they are. Some ideal fish to house your Green Texas Cichlid would be Loaches, Plecos, Scavenger Catfish, similar sized fish, or other South American Cichlids.

Breeding: Green Texas Cichlids are an open breeder. Maturity is reached when the male is 4” in length and the female is 3” in length. It is quite obvious when a pair forms. You will watch they’re increased aggression as they pick and defend they’re territory. When rearing the fry both parents turn a dark almost black color. These fish lay eggs and the larvae hatch approximately three days after spawning. After hatching in another 4-6 days they are swimming freely. Like most cichlids both parents take care of the fry.

Feeding: Like other cichlids The Green Texas Cichlid is omnivorous and will eat many different foods. Some foods that the Cichlid would eat would be bloodworms, tubifex, flake food, and cichlid pellets.