[Jason_S]

Male



Female



Species Name: Cichlasoma festae

Common Name: The Red Terror

Size: ~12" for females and ~16" for males though with proper care and tank size they can grow slightly larger.

pH: 7.0-7.6 though they can withstand and thrive in slightly higher ph values. Mine are kept in ph of 8.2

Minimum Recommended Tank Size: 125 gallons, though a 180 would be better...especially for a pair

Native Location: South America (Ecuador)

Temperature: 72-78 though they could probably withstand slightly higher temps.

Diet: Omnivore. A varied diet is best. Some veggies in the diet will be appreciated by this species.

Breeding: The pair will clean a spawning site and the female will guard the eggs. The male will patrol the surrounding area. Red Terrors are legendary in the care of their fry and can/will injure or kill any fish that gets too close.

Gender Differences: Sexing is difficult at sizes of 3" or less. Even at this size it can be difficult, but as the fish reaches 4"+ it becomes easier to tell. Males will only show their vertical bars when showing aggression...mine only shows his bars when they spawn. Also, males will be a much lighter red/orange/pink color overall. Males may show some yellow or green coloration on the face/gill covers. Also, the dorsal/pelvic fins of males are red and the dorsal will have blue spangling. Females will have a much more intense red/orange coloration, their vertical bars will be prevalent most, if not all of the time. The front 1/3-1/2 of a female's dorsal fin will be very dark blue or black and the female's pelvic fins will also be very dark blue or black.

Aggression: Highly aggressive and territorial. Red Terrors are legendary for their parental skills. Also, male festae are known for killing females during courtship so a divider should be on hand at all times if you're trying to breed them. These fish are also known for getting along with tankmates fine for a while and then butchering them overnight. Other tankmates should only be added in very large aquariums.

Notes: This species is apparently under some debate as far as which genus it belongs to. I believe it is most commonly accepted as a member of the Amphilophus genus, but the festae is also referred to by some as belonging to the Nandopsis genus. All species still under debate are considered 'Cichlasoma' spp.

From what I've read festae can be very difficult to pair up. I originally bought 5 juveniles and wound up with the pair I have. They have so far spawned 3 times. The first time the eggs hatched and the female moved the fry, but she abandoned them shortly thereafter. The next 2 times the eggs were not fertilised. It can take these fish several times spawning to get things right and successfully raise the fry.

One final note is that this species is often confused with Nandopsis uropthalmus, aka the False Red Terror and Mayan Cichlid. The best way to distinguish these 2 fish is that true festae will have at least 1 pair of vertical bars that form a 'Y' as can be seen in the picture above of the female. All vertical bars on a N. uropthalmus will be straight top to bottom. Also, the eye-spot at the base of the tail on a festae will be smaller and positioned on the upper portion of the base while the eye-spot on a uropthalmus will be much larger and centered on the base.

This post has been edited by Jason_S: 28 July 2004 - 01:51 AM