red terror cichlid care instructions
Red Terror Cichlid Care Instructions
Do you want to keep a fish with tons of attitude and great aggression as a pet? It is very important to know everything about your fish before you get it home. We will tell you how to care for your exotic Red Terror cichlid.
- Very aggressive and hot-tempered
- Tons of attitude
- Intelligent
- Large
- Colorful
- Omnivorous
Species name: Amphilophus festae or Cichlasoma festae
Common name: Red Terror
Family: Cichlidae
Origin: Central America
Temperament: Aggressive to very aggressive
Maximum size: 14" - 18"
Recommended water temperature: 25°C - 28°C (75°F - 82°F)
Water pH range: 6 - 8
Lifespan: 8 - 10 years
Traits
Red Terrors often reach the maximum size of about 18", males being 16" - 18" and females being around 13" - 14". You can distinguish between the male and female fish, the size being the first factor. The male fish will have blue dots on its body. The female fish truly lives up to its name in color and aggression. It is very red in color and has black and blue areas on the dorsal fin.
Behavior
Although aggressive, they make a good pet if kept alone or with tank mates like larger cichlids having the same temperament. They are often known as 'fish with tons of attitude'. You will need to keep a close eye while mixing because they are known to terrorize other fish in the tank. They are also intelligent species and often seem to communicate. They are said to recognize the owners and sometimes indicate asking for food near the front of the tank. They sometimes tend to bite the glass if anyone intrudes their space.
Now having known something, let's see what all you will need to take care of before welcoming this fish into your life.
Aquarium Setup
- If your Red Terrors are juveniles, a tank size of about 50 - 70 gallons would be enough. However, if you are keeping your fish with a mate or if it's an adult fish, then a tank of 120 - 150 gallons would be required as they need plenty of space to swim around and reduce their aggression.
- You will just need to clone the exact natural habitat as far as possible.
- The aquarium should have a sand, mixed gravel and sand, or small gravels. You can also put some well-anchored plants and rocky caves.
- They are likely to dig in the gravel and make the tank décor to suit themselves.
- Due to their large size and appetite, you will need a strong filtration method. Different filters can be used to filter the water, preferably Canister filters.
- The ideal thing would be to change the water every two weeks, but if not, then at least once a month.
- Maintain proper temperature to reduce their hot temper.
- While keeping Red Terrors along with other large cichlids, it is important to care even more to lessen their aggression towards each other.
- Make sure you don't overcrowd the aquarium with other fish.
- Do not keep the breeding pair with other fish as they tend to be worse during that time.
Food
- They are omnivorous and consume all types of food offered.
- The food offered should be according to their size and health.
- They love to feast on cichlid flakes and pellets as a staple diet. You can also feed them bloodworms, beef heart, mysid shrimp, and brine shrimp occasionally.
- The larger ones should be fed bulkier items to maintain their health such as large cichlid pellets or sticks, chicken liver, earthworms, and fish fillets.
Breeding Information
- Red Terrors mature when they are 3.5" to 4" in length. The males lose the black barring, and a change in the coloration is seen. It turns somewhat light green around the throat and belly areas, while the females tend to retain their juvenile colors.
- They can be easily bred if a pair is formed. Spawning becomes easy and can be done in a large fish tank of about 120 gallons for adults. The eggs are laid on the rocks usually, and the spawning area is guarded by females.
- However, make sure you don't keep them with other fish during the breeding time as they get hyperaggressive. They might even kill the other fish or confine them to a corner in the aquarium.
- Maintain the pH and temperature of water to facilitate breeding and spawning both. You can isolate the fry after they start swimming.