(Please note that the fish shown in the photo is only a representative of what an adult specimen would look like. The color may vary based on the age and sex of the fish you receive.)
Scientific Name: Amphilophus labiatus
Common Name: Red Devil Cichlid
Adult Size: 15 inches
Life Expectancy: 8 - 10 years
Habitat: Central America
Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons
Ideal Tank Conditions:
- Temperature Range: 78°F
- pH Range: 7.0 - 8.0
- Water Hardness: 6 - 25
Temperament: Red Devils are known for their aggressiveness, are very territorial and are occasionally very rude toward the same as well as other species. They can be kept with other aggressive fish in a very large aquarium when growing up, but as adults they simply don't like any other occupants in their tank. The only known way to successfully and safely keep Red Devils with other fish is to have them in a very large aquarium with plenty of caves, hiding places, and natural tank divisions to create defensible territories. Unfortunately, this still doesn't guarantee that the Red Devil won't attack to gain more territory and is no guarantee you can keep them with other fish.
Diet/Nutrition: Since they are omnivores, 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 high quality cichlid pellets, krill, frozen bloodworms, earthworms, night crawlers, crickets, spirulina based foods, and carotene enhanced supplements.
Be careful when feeding your cichlid warm blooded mammal meats (e.g. red meat, beef heart, chicken, etc) as these meats have amounts and types of proteins and fats not normally found in a cichlid's diet. These foods can therefore cause intestinal blockages and organ degradation in cichlids. If you find your fish enjoys these types of foods, be sure to only feed them as an occasional treat, not as a dietary staple.
Breeding: Reach sexual maturity at 4 inches and will form lifelong pairs. Keep the water temperature around 82°F and provide a spot for them to place the eggs. A large rock would work well.
Gender: The male Red Devil grows larger than the female and has a pointed genital papilla, while the female's is blunt. The males in captivity will grow a permanent nuchal hump which is only present during breeding in the wild.