View attachment 1537924
In the book "Cichlids from Central America" by Ad Konings, he posits an interesting theory.
That a successful spawn in nature occurs, when only 1 individual (of say 1,000 eggs) survives to maturity.
And he uses Parachromis managuense in one of the Nicraguan lakes as his theoretical test subject.
Its no surprise, young fish are preyed upon by everything from insects, and crustaceans, to small birds.
View attachment 1537930
The catfish above, being eaten by the shrimp is about 3" - 4"
The larger the fish get, to a certain point, the smaller their pool of predators become.
View attachment 1537931
In aquariums managuense size norm might average only 10-12" , and I have seen some aquarists poo poo the idea that under the right they can easily hit 18 to 20 inches.
But I have had some in my tanks, easily hit 16"and not be done growing, and the record for hook and line fishing is 22"