At what size does the Nicaragua Cichlid start to color up?
- Thread starter CichlidMan64
- Start date
Thanks for the reply, its a 100 gallon, I have some large branches, driftwood and rocks in that tank for the fish to hide, the water has tannins. For tankmates:9 buenos aires tetra, 5 colombian tetra, 3 skirt tetrs, 1 3-spot gourami at four inches, 1 female pink convict at 1.5 inch, 1 female black convict at 1 inch. and a 2 inch electric blue acara(prob also female), I used to have a 3.5 inch female red hump geo but took it out because it became far too aggressive for the nica cichlid. Now only the pink convict occassionally tries to fight it. After the geo is removed, the nica cichlid became more active and does come to glass surf in front of the tank, but it still acts pretty docile and timid sometimes.
The individuals above are about 4 to 5 inchesl )12/30
Below is a male, at about 6" to 7"
3 month after the first pic was taken (according to the photo date)
females color up sooner, male below in the shot'
Below is a male, at about 6" to 7"
3 month after the first pic was taken (according to the photo date)
females color up sooner, male below in the shot'
I see, so these fishes take a while before they color up. Thanks for showing me the pic.
Yep, pretty slow maturing compared to some of their closer relatives (convicts).
4" juvenile I caught in Costa Rica:
7-8" male caught half an hour later:
Gorgeous fish, wonder why they never caught on. Maybe the fact they don’t color up until later makes them less marketable. Had an adult group years ago and they’re magnificent and well mannered. Sadly, haven’t seen them for over a decade at LFS
To be honest, if I knew I had to wait for these fish to get that big before they color up without getting the guranteed sex I want, I would have had second thoughts before I bought mines.