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Old June 27th, 2013, 05:38 PM   #1
robertprice
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Default Cichlid Profiles - The Midas-Red Devil Complex

I will not burden the reader with an extensive rationale for why Amphilophus citrinellus and A. labiatus have insufficent differences to be considered full species. They are very slightly different at the extreme ends of the clade, but no term of scientific nomenclature exists to describe interbreeding, mostly sympatric morphotypes. The complex is the prime example of Barlow's discussion of opportunistic cichlid radiation in the Crater Lakes of Nicaragua. There have never been meristic or mensural differences elucidated bvetween the two ancestral forms, the genetic data is inconclusive thusfar, and the only sometimes consistent difference, a longer body and snout in the Red Devil is less of a difference that the differences between human races. Even well known writers and aquarium experts such as Jeff Rapps and Staek and Linke have admitted that without more exact information, we cannot with surety assign a particular individual to either taxon, inasmuch as they are polychromatic and can change color rapidly. They do not have identical ranges, as the Red Devil is found in Lakes Managua and Nicaragua only, while the Midas and 7 new sympatric species are found in the small crater lakes as well (Apoyo Lakes Natural Reserve), and Midas are found in the San Juan River of Costa Rica. Virtually all authorities agree that both fish interbreed regularly in Lake Nicaragua. Most authorties allow for the existence of F1 Midevils. That having been said I will treat the two as somewhat different morphotypes of the same species.

If you search for "Images of Midas Cichlids and Red Devil Cichlids," you will see the same fish over and over again. Jeff Rapps has pointed out that the wild type of the Red Devil is more orange than the piebald brown and gold wild type of Midas, but then again, his specimens often lack exact collection data. The normal wild type with 6 or 7 vertical bars of dark color occurs in 70-90% of the populations, but these are hardly ever seen in captivity. The remainder are desirable aquarium fish, and vary in color from pure white to yellow to orange to mixtures of yellow, orange and orange-red, some with small black patches, and piebalds with some brown blotches in the rear half of the body. There are virtally no really bright red Red Devils. Their color depends largely on the amount of carotene in their diet. These are thick, predaceous fish with or without prominent lips often depending on what biotope they inhabit, but always with amongst the strongest and sharpest bite of any cichlid. They reach 10-12 inches in length. They are sexually dimorphic, with males having long dorsal streamers and older males with modest to very large nuchal humps.

These cichlids are the best of parents, prodigious diggers who can dig a foot deep nest in a day, and lay 700 to 1000 eggs. I have personally had a male dig a rock lined tunnel 22 inches long in a few days. The males mostly guard the nest and the females tend to pay more attention to the eggs and fry. The juveniles of both show the wild type pattern and are gray with up to 6 dark dorsolateral stripes or rear body spots (a condition they share with Flowerhorns, for whom they are ancestral). They begin to change color at about 4 inches and 5 months of age. They need at least a 40 gallon aquaruium for one, a 55 for a pair. It should be liberally decorated with large hiding rocks and lots of gravel. They destroy plants, create their own caves, and generally like a complete line of sight in their tanks. They are among the most intelligent cichlids and can be taught simple tricks. They are very curious and inspect filters, airstones and move heaters and surprisingly large rocks. They apparently communicate with subsonic vocalizations. They do not have suitable tankmates once fully mature or paired. The juveniles can be housed with other aggressive cichlids until they reach 5 inches. Pet stores often keep quite a few in crowded tanks which breaks down their territoriality. They are carnivores but eat some plant matter and it is important to feed them supplemental food high in carotenoids to maintain their bright colors. They like temperatures of 78-80 degrees and neutral to slightly alkaline PH.
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