The Red Devil Cichlid
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.
