[uNGu]™ Fish : Red Devil or Midas Cichlid Fish

Red Devil or Midas Cichlid Fish

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One of the most aggressive South American cichlids found only in Nicaragua, the Red Devil is notorious for its belligerent behaviour. When paired right, the Red Devil makes for an excellent aquarium fish and is a beautiful specimen.

By: admin Posted: August 21, 2007

The Red Devil has a diverse variability in its coloration and structure. Some fishare bright red while other fish are white or yellow. Some fish have black-tipped fins and a tail with black lips, while other fish have thick rubbery lips. Red Devils are very "owner conscious" and will closely follow you when you walk in the room or in front of the aquarium and also the Red Devil will respond to interactions like feeding and cleaning the aquarium.

Although Red Devils can be kept in aquariums around 50 gallons, larger aquariums can reduce their aggressive nature. Red Devils have been known to live comfortably with other fish, but will usually not tolerate the other species or the same specie of fish in the same aquarium unless large. Very similar to the fish named Cichlasoma citrinellum, or Midas Cichlid, some websites still list them as the same fish. The two species however are found in different places, the Red Devil is only found in the Nicaraguan lakes, whereas the Midas can range from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

Classification:

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Actiniform
* Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
* Order: Perciformes
* Family: Cichlidae

Care and feeding:

Since they are omnivorous the Red Devil Cichlid will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, or other live foods as a treat. Older books have listed them as carnivores because they will eat or attack most other fish.

Distribution:

Red Devils are found in the Nicaraguan lakes Nicaragua, Managua, and Xiloa.

Size - Weight:

Red Devils get up to 15 inches (38 cm). This is a rather large fish!

Social Behaviors:

Red Devils are known for their aggressiveness, thus the name Red Devil. They are very territorial and are occasionally very rude toward conspecifics (same species) as well as heterospecifics (other species). For this reason they are often kept by themselves. They are known to be diggers and will often rearrange the gravel and aquarium decor. Make sure any aquarium rocks or decorations are placed on the bottom of the aquarium or undergravel filter if you have one. Also, plants may be uprooted.

Sexual Differences:

The male Red Devil grows larger than the female. The male has a pointed genital papilla, the female's is blunt.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:

These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:

Although they are undemanding as far as water conditions, the following parameters are suggested:
Hardness: fairly soft.
Ph: 6.5 to 7.0
Temp: 75-79° F 24-26° C

Breeding/Reproduction:

The Red Devil is an open spawner with a patriarch-matriarch family. Typical open spawners, they prefer to spawn on inclined substrates. The spawn is usually around 600-700 eggs which are a transparent, amber-yellow color. The female takes care of the initial brood. At 25 deg. C the larvae hatch after about 3 days. After another 5-7 days they become free swimming. They can be nourished with Artemia nauplii. At 2-3 weeks old the young will also graze on their parents skin for additional food. See a general description of cichlid breeding habits in Breeding Freshwater Fish.