Scientific name: Cichlasoma octofasciatum


Common name: jack Dempsey



General information:

Jacks are native to tropical climate and prefer water with a ph range of 7-8 and a temperature range of 22-30 degrees Celsius. They are carnivorous and eat worms, crustacean, insects, and smaller fish.


Size:

Males grow to about 10 inches, 25 cm in length female a little smaller.



Lifespan:

10-15 years


Origin:

Wild specimens range from Central America Guatemala and Southern Mexico. They are found in the wild mostly in slow moving rivers and canals in Central America.

Tankmates:

Jacks are a semi aggressive cichlid and are suited for species tanks or house with similarly agressive South and Central American cichlids their size or larger such as oscars, green terrors, salvinis and convicts to name a few.

Tank Size:

For a single Jack a 55 us gallon tank would be adequate but for a breeding pair or other tankmates a 75 us gallon tank would be necessary.

Scientific name: Parachromis managuensis


Common name: jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid, aztec cichlid


General information:

Jaguars are carnivorous preditory fish whose diet consists of small fish, macroinvertebrates and insects. They prefer water with a ph between 7.0-8.7 and 25-36 degree temperature.


Size:

Males grow to 22-25 inches 55-63 cm in length(smaller in aquariums) whereas the
female betweeen 12-14 inches


Lifespan:

15 years +


Origin:

Wild specimens range from Costa Rica and Nicaragua. They are often found in shallow turbid lakes.

Tankmates:

Jaguars are not community fish. They are aggressive predators and should only be housed with other large aggressive fish like dovii. motas, festaes ect. If you have a breeding pair of jags no tankmates will be tolerated.
Tank Size:

For a single male jag a tank of 125 us gallons is recommended. For a breeding pair, a 180 us gallon tank is needed with a divider just in case.

Scientific name: Cichlasoma severum


Common name: severums


(roktiel variety pictured)


General information:

the severum cichlids comes in many different sub-species such as the gold severum, green severum, blue (banded), turquoise and red-shouldered(roktiel) variety. The severum is a non aggresive, colourful cichlid that can be mixed into many cichid community tanks. They prefer a ph between 6-6.8 and a water temperature between 24-28 degress celcius. These fish have a reputation for skittishness, though the acclimation period will help to alleviate that behaviour, as will good cover from aquascaping within the aquarium. Severums are omnivores that will do well on a diet consisting of standard cichlid foods, which is supplemented by greens.


Size:

severums grow to about 8-10 inches in length


Lifespan:

10 years +


Origin:

Wild specimens range from Rio Orinoco and its Colombian and Venezuelan basins; Rio Amazonas basin; Rio Negro in Brazil and Venezuela.

Tankmates:

Severums are social community cichlids which can be housed with others of the same temperment such as oscars, acaras, firemouths, geophagus, ect..



Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 45 us gallon tank is recommeneded for severums. a larger tank is needed if housed with tankmates.

The true green terror, Aequidens rivulatus, is rarely found in the aquarium trade and therefore for the purposes of this species identification thread i will be describing the gold saum, 'Aequidens' sp., also known as the false green terror




Scientific name: 'Aequidens' sp.


Common name: gold saum, false green terror, green terror



(juvenile unsexed pictured)courtesyof artemis1


General information:
green terrors prefer water with a ph value between 7-8 and a temperature between 24-30 degrees celcius. They are omnivores. Foods such as a quality pellets, algae wafers and spirulina flakes, krill, worms make suitable fare for them. The body of the saum has a green sheen and a balck dot in the center of each scale. The tail is rimmed with a brillant red as well as the edge of the dorsal fin, The saum in the hobby today come from Ecuador and aren't overly aggressive but do have an bit of an attitude especially when spawning.




Size:

Male gt's grow to a maximum size of around 11 inches, females around the 8 inch mark


Lifespan:

10 years +


Origin:

Wild specimens hail from small streams and drainage channels of Northern Peru and Southern Equidor

Tankmates:

Suitable tankmates for gt's include jack dempsey's, convicts, oscars and other cichlids of similar size that aren't overly aggressive Unless the tank is extremely large. Dither fish like silver dollars, giant danios work well as would clown loaches and certain catfish like plecos and pictus.



Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 55 us gallon tank is recommended or at least a 75 for a breeding pair or one with tankmates

Scientific name: Aequidens pulcher


Common name: blue acara


(juvenile unsexed pictured)


General information:
Acaras prefer water with a ph value between 6.5-7 and a temperature between 22-30 degrees celcius. They are carnivores. In the wild they survive on a diet of worms crustaceans and insects. In the aquarium they should be provided a diet of earthworms bloodworms and tubiflex worms. They also like frozen foods such as brine shrimp and bloodworms as well as protein flakes and pellets. The body of the acara is stocky and compact with a steel blue-gray colour. There are noticeable horizontal green lines on their faces and their blueish-green scales give them a sparkling appearance. They also have long flowing fins with a hint of orange to the tips similar to the green terror.



Size:

Both male and female acaras grow to around the 8 inch mark

Lifespan:

10 years +


Origin:

The blue acara is found in still and sluggish waters of the local river basins in central to south america from Pamama to Columbia.

Tankmates:


The blue acara is not really aggressive, but may take advantage of smaller tankmates. Ideally you should keep them with fish that are of a similar or larger size. Firemouths, oscars, plecos and severum all make good tankmates for acara.



Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 30 us gallon tank is recommended or at least a 55 for a breeding pair or one with tankmates.

Loiselle's Cichlid


Scientific name: Parachromis Loisellei


Common name: Loiselle's Cichlid, Loisellei



(adult male, approx 10'')


General information:

An aggressive, medium sized guapote. They are more peaceful than their cousin's the dovii, but still a force to be reckoned with. A tank size of 75 gallons should be fine for a single specimen. An interesting fact: when presented with a large number of live foods (e.g. goldfish) the loiselle's cichlid will eat as many as possible, not swallowing them, but holding them in its mouth. After he's finished feasting on them, he will slowly start to swallow them one by one. Beware, if you look inside hie mouth while he's doing this, you may find several little faces staring back at you!


Size:

Ten inches would be a maximum, but most smaller.


Lifespan:

10 years+


Origin:

Central America

Tankmates:

Same as any other most any cichlid of that size (silver dollars, plecos, other loisellei, etc)

-Art

Macaw Cichlid


Scientific name: Hypsophrys nicaraguensis


Common name: Macaw cichlid, nic


(adult)


General information:

A very colorful, very active medium sized Central American cichlid. These fish are rather aggressive, but normally can't do much damage with their small teeth. Perhaps one of the nicest looking CA cichilds. Great for a Central/South American Cichlid community set-up.

Males are generally larger, more aggressive, and often display a wider arrange of colors.

Size:

up to 9 inches in males, females slightly smaller

Lifespan:

6-8 years+

Origin:

Central America

Tankmates:

Just about anything, but shy away from very passive, or very aggressive fish. Generally these cichlids do not eat smaller tank-mates, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

-Art

Scientific name: Cichlasoma salvini


Common name: salvini, tri-coloured cichlid, yellow-bellied cichlid



General information:
The salvini is a brightly yellow coloured cichlid that prefers water with a ph of 7-8 and a water temperature between 22-26 degrees celcius.
Sals are omnivors and will usually eat all kinds of fresh or frozen foods. Their main diet should consist of a quality pellet supplemented with brine shrimp and blood worms. In the wild salvinis are found in moderate to fast moving waters and feed on small fish and macro-invertebrates.


Size:

Both male and female salvinis grow to around the 6 inch mark

Lifespan:

7-10 years


Origin:

The wild salvini hails from Central America and lives in the fast moving water of lagoons and rivers along the atlantic slope from Mexico to Guatemala.

Tankmates:


Salvinis are not a good community fish. They can be territorial and moderately aggressive, and can become very aggressive during spawning. They are also a predatory species and will eat smaller fish if given the chance. They are best kept singly in a species tank ,with larger growing cichlids or other moderately aggressive cichlids such as the Jack Dempsey and the Red Devil. Keeping them in a tank with plenty of hiding places and keeping them well fed is said to lessen aggression in this species.




Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 50 us gallon tank is recommended or at least a 90 for a breeding pair or one with tankmates.

Scientific name: Cichlasoma Meeki


Common name: Firemouth cichlids


taken from flickr.com


General information:

Firemouths prefer water in the 6.5-8 ph range and a temperature between 21-24 degrees celcius. They also prefer a sand substrate with plenty pf places to hide like rock and wood.
Firemouths are omnivorous and will generally eat all kinds of flake, fresh, and live foods. For a healthy diet feed them a quality flake food or pellet everyday. Feed brine shrimp and blood worms (either live or frozen) as a treat.



Size:

Firemouths grow to around the 6 inch mark

Lifespan:

6-10 years


Origin:

The firemouth is native to Central America and lives in shallow slow moving waters from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and into northern Guatemala.

Tankmates:

The firemouth is a non aggressive cichlid that will fit well into many cichlid community tanks. They typically do well in tanks with other non and semi aggressive cichlids like severums, oscars, and acaras.



Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 20 us gallon tank is recommended or at least a 50 for a breeding pair or one with tankmates.

Scientific name: Cichlasoma Nigrofasciatus


Common name: Convict cichlids, Zebra cichlid



photo courtesey of artemis 1


General information:

Convicta prefer water in the 6-8 ph range and a temperature between 21-27 degrees celcius. They also prefer a sand substrate with plenty pf places to hide like rocks, caves, plants and wood.
Convicts dwell among the shallow rocky areas where they hide in cracks and crevices, feeding on worms, insects, fish, crustaceans and plants.Dont let their small size be deceiving.Convicts are among the most aggressive cichlids there are and are not for a community tank. Their aggression level increases during mating and they will try to dispatch all tankmates reguardless of size.
Convicts now come in a variety of colour morphs with the stripped and pink being the more popular. The marble and calico convicts are a couple other colour morphs gaining more appeal of late.

Size:

Males convicts grow to about 5-6 inches while females only grow to the 3-4 inch mark

Lifespan:

6+ years


Origin:

The convict hails from Central America on the Pacific side from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and on the Atlantic side from Honduras to Panama

Tankmates:

When keeping a single Convict, tankmates can be considered as long as the tank is large enough. Males are more aggressive than females, but even a male Convict can be added to a large tank with other more aggressive cichlids. They are quite capable of holding their own against Oscars, Jack Dempsey's, Green Terrors and other similar sized cichlids. Females are less aggressive and can be introduced into tanks with less aggressive cichlids and some community tanks.



Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 30 us gallon tank is recommended or at least a 50 for a breeding pair or one with tankmates.

Scientific name: Parachromis motaguensis


Common name: Red tiger mota, RTM, Motagua cichlid




General information:

RTMs prefer water in the 7-8 ph range and a temperature between 20-28 degrees celcius. Their diet should include soft rayed fish a quality pellet as a staple krill and fish meat. motas are not a community fish and are very aggressive care should be taken when introducing this species into an establish tank.


Size:

Male motas grow up to 12 inches while the females grow to between 8-10 inches

Lifespan:

10+ years


Origin:

The RTM is native to Central America from Honduras and the Atlantic slope of Guatamala and El Salvador

Tankmates:

Tank mates could include silver dollars, tinfoil barbs, plecos, and other larger similarly aggressive cichlids as long as PLENTY of space is given. The mota like all others of the parachromis species is equipped with pseudocanine's. Combine these with the males explosive, ferocious, quick attacks, bad temper, and you have yourself a dangerous fish capable of dispatching tank mates with ease.





Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 75 us gallon tank is recommended. For a breeding pair a tank of 125 gallons is a most and a 180 us gallon if tankmates are introduced.

Scientific name: Herichthys cyanoguttatus


Common name: Texas cichlid, Rio Grande cichlid, Pearl cichlid



photo from petshop-zoomania.com


General information:

The texas cichlid prefer water in the 6.5-7.5 ph range and a temperature between 20-25 degrees celcius. Their diet should include a quality pellet as a staple and large chunk foods such as cut up beef heart, crickets and earthworms. The adult Texas Cichlid is not a community fish. As a juvenile this fish is a wimp. It can be kept with barbs but not any other juvenile cichlids. A Jaguar juvenile will kill a juvenile Texas Cichlid. Once they are older, reaching about 5 or 6 inches, they become the threat. Some of them do great in a community tank and other are terrors(depends on the personality of each infividual fish). There are also a couple of variation to the texas cichlid like the green texas (Herichthys carpintis) and the red texas which is spawned form Herichthys and Amphilophus parents.
the texas cichlid is also used to create flowerhorns when mixed with various other species.




Size:

Texas cichlids(males) grow up to 12 inches in lenght while the females generally a little smaller

Lifespan:

10-15 years


Origin:

The texas cichlid is native to Southern Texas and Northern Mexico. the texaas cichlid is also the only cichlid that is native to North America

Tankmates:

In general the texas cichlid can be kept with other large aquarium fishes such as tinfoil barbs, silver dollars, oscars, jack dempseys, jaguars and other larger South American cichlids.





Tank Size:

For a single specimen a 55 us gallon tank is recommended. For a breeding pair a tank of 100 gallons is a most and a 125 us gallon if tankmates are introduced.