Anyone know anything about Jewel Cichlids?

Question

I currently have a 30 gallon tank and a friend of mine has informed me that Jewel Cichlids are very cool fish, but i am curious to know about them...

Answer 1

They are really cool. A bit aggressive so be really careful of any potential tank mates! Jewels are bright and colorful and breed readily in a tank assuming you have a male and female of course. Very nice fish I think. Here's a link to a good write up about them.

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichlid,%20Jewel.htm

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 2

I had one. It was very aggressive. I do not have it anymore. lol

It was in a cichlid tank with a Jack Dempsey, an oscar, a severum and a blood parrot. It was a lot smaller and for some reason, thought it could have a "go" with my other cichlids. I had to remove him and put him in my 30 gallon with 2 full grown blue gouramis. It attacked the gouramis. It went back to the store.

Since then, I found that they are one of the most aggressive Afican cichlids. The Jewel Cichlid is not difficult to breed, however obtaining a pair can be a challenge. One method of obtaining pairs is to keep a group of juveniles together and watch for pairings. When they reach adulthood, you can’t reasonably keep more than one pair in a tank though. At breeding time, both sexes become more colorful, with the male taking on a brilliant red. Care should be taken to watch the pair closely, as the male may kill a female who is not ready to breed. Providing hiding places can help.

Both parents will work to clean a surface for the eggs, preferably a flat rock with a 45 degree angle from the substrate. If they can’t find a surface, they may use aquarium glass or make a shallow dugout area on the bottom. Parent should be left in the tank after spawning, as Jewels are great parents. They will remove (by eating) any eggs that aren’t fertilized. The fry will hatch in one to two days and can be fed brine shrimp when the yolk sac is depleted.

They grow to about 4", live 5-10 yrs, like temperatures in the mid 70's.

As for tankmates:
Compatible with less aggressive Mbunas and similar sized Peacock and Haplochromis African Cichlids. They are known to kill Plecos and New World Cichlids, such as Jack Dempseys and Green Terrors.

However, in my experience, it would have killed the Jack as it grew. They have VERY sharp teeth as adults.