Common Name:

Jaguar cichlid

 

Overview:

Perhaps one off the most aggresive cichlids to be kept in an aquarium that quickly outgrows all but the largest tanks at breeding time they have a taste fro fingers so cleaning the tank can be a problem.

 

Distribution:

Central America.

 

Coloration:

The body of the Jaguar Cichlid is golden bronze in color with a scattering of dark black spots. Its fins are light black and will darken when spawning. The female has the same coloring as the male but has a shorter dorsal fin

 

Care:

The Jaguar Cichlid likes live food, beef heart, worms, pellets and small fish. They have a huge appetite and they’ll be eating all the time. As juveniles I have found it best to feed these fish twice a day, as they mature a meal every other day should be plenty. As well as live or frozen foods they will also accept meals of large cichlid pellets and to supply them with vitamins and minerals, I personally found the best food to offer them was Hikari Gold pellets, they used to love that food.

Breeding:

Breeding the Jaguar Cichlid can be tricky with some pairs of these fish so you may need some patience before you actually get a brood. As juveniles it is virtually impossible to sex the Jaguar Cichlid, males and females all look the same, as the fish mature and reach a size of 4-5 inches, the male will lose his dark stripes and will grow quicker than the female, his markings will turn to darker speckles and his background colour will take on a gold appearance.

To stand any chance of success you must use a separate breeding tank, during the breeding time the Jaguar Cichlid becomes very aggressive and can even attempt to attack its own owner if you decide to place your hand in the tank. The male will show some aggression towards the female so this should be watched carefully, if it becomes too intense it may be necessary to add a divider in the tank until the male calms down, and then try again.

Use sand for the substrate and add some flat rocks to act as potential spawning sites. The female will deposit her eggs on the chosen site after it has been cleaned, expect up to 500 eggs with each batch. The eggs are fertilised immediately by the male and will then guard the spawning site. The female will fan the eggs with oxygenated water and after 2-3 days the eggs should hatch.

Do not attempt to feed the fry at this stage, they will feed from their yolk sacs for a few days and only once these have been consumed should the fry be fed.

Jaguar Cichlid fry will feed on commercial egglayer fry food initially or you can use hard boiled egg yolks, squeezed through muslin, once they grow slightly they will accept newly hatched brine shrimp or crushed flake.

It is quite common for the parents to move the young around the tank, this is an inbuilt reaction from the Jaguar Cichlid hiding their young in the wild from predators. I have had the best success with breeding the Jaguar Cichlid when the tanks are lit naturally and no artificial light is added to distract them