The Green Texas Cichlid
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.
