General information about red cichlids

Data sheet red cichlid

German name:
Red cichlid

Scientific name:
Hemichromis bimaculatus

Origin:
West Africa

Size:
Body length up to 8 cm, rarely up to 15 cm

Aquarium

Length:
Length from 120 cm width

Contents:
at least 200 liters for a couple

water values

Temperature:
21°- 23° C

pH:
6.5 – 7.5

GH:
4° – 16° dH

Behave

Area:
lower and middle range

Lining:
Omnivores, mainly live food such as Tubifex and mosquito larvae, flake food

Behave:
Lively, territorial, can become aggressive under certain circumstances (mating time).

Number:
in pairs

Difficulty level:
Beginner

Nicolas COUTHOUIS, Hemichromis lifalili (aquarium)3, CC BY-SA 2.5

The largest red cichlid is probably Hemichromis guttatus. He will be about 12 centimeters tall. H. bimaculatus is said to be around 10 to 15 centimeters tall.

Hemichromis fasciatus, the five-spotted cichlid, grows to about 30 centimeters, but is not a red cichlid.

The red cichlid, Hemichromis bimaculatus, is very aggressive. Especially during the spawning and rearing of the young, it absolutely needs its own tank. A clutch can contain about 600 young. As a rule, almost 300 young make it through.

Outside the spawning season, the species is relatively peaceful. The animals dig heavily in the ground. Almost everything that fits in the mouth is eaten.

Suitable water parameters:

The aquarium should be at least 70 centimeters long. Gravel is suitable as substrate. Suitable plants are Vallisneria and large-leaved plants. Some stone caves should be present.

The breeding of red cichlids

Hemichromis bimaculatus Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: Zhyla

During the spawning season, the red cichlids like to spoil the aquarium, ie they dig pits. Plants that are not too well rooted can be uprooted.

Breeding red cichlids is relatively easy. When courting, the parents show beautiful fiery red colors. During the courtship season they are among the prettiest perch. The eggs are usually laid in a (rock) pit.

Depending on the temperature, the little ones hatch. At 28 °C they hatch after 2 days. Hatching is carried out in a similar way to angelfish, with the eggs being placed in the parents’ mouths, where the parents then «bite open» the eggs.

They are then reburied in another pit.

Breeding tips

The parents take the newly hatched larvae in their mouths, clean them and then spit them into a pit. The larvae are moved from one pit to another pit three to four times a day. When the young have consumed the yolk sac and are swimming freely, the parents lead them through the aquarium. In the evening, the parents bring the young fish back to the pit and guard them there.

The free-swimming young are fed with Artemia nauplii. The food is injected into the swarm with a pipette.