Midas Cichlids

[Rui]

So most of us have kept Midas, Red Devils or Midas/Devil hybrids (most common in the hobby). I have been keeping them for years, as well as most of the monsters on this site (no arapaima yet though...hmm...time to build that 3000 gallon indoor pond!).

Have any of you kept Midas with humps like these? I have been buying them, raising them up, trading them in after giving up, finding some new ones, trading them in...and so on. I do know how to spot the real 'Midas' (citrenellum, citrenellus) over the 'Red Devil' (labiatum, labiatus). When they look down towards the bottom of the tank, labiatums will create a sharp 'point' with their heads towards their lips, while citrenellums are blunt. I am presently growing out 4 'guaranteed' midas, and they are approaching 8 inches. Still no head, but I am hopeful.

Has anyone kept any Midas with huge humps like these? If so, what conditions were they kept in? Dominant fish in the tank with other Midas to display against and raised on a higher protein diet is what I have heard leads to the exaggerated humps, at least to the fish that have the genetics to grow them out.

I would be interested in hearing about anyone's midas having a huge head like these, and how they raised them up (and if they have fry to sell me!!).

 

[WckedMidas]

here i thought mine had a kok

mine runs the tank for most part. I was feeding primarly hikari brand fpellets. But money been tight last couple months. So i started useing a bulk trout pellets seems to work real good and its cheap to. I also feed beefhart

 

[Caveman]

Those are some monsterous nuchal humps. I use to have 3 breeding pairs of midas and the only time I ever seen there humps reach even close to what the ones in the pictures rui posted is when they were breeding. I think genetic makeup has alot to do with them attaining the massive "hump".

 

[Rui]

From everything that I have been reading, and from my own personal experience (whatever it is worth) I think genetics accounts for only half of why Nuchal humps get so big on these fish.

Most that you see are crosses with Labiatums (red devils, a perennial favorite with me, even without the hump). I do have 4 'pure breds', but I do want to get this species out there to more hobbyists, and want to aquire some more 'pure bloods'. I am THINKING of getting some through Jeff Rapps, but I also don't see him post adult pics, and I want to make sure his, though pure they most definitely are, may not have the possibility of growing such exagerrated humps. I don't know if mine will either, which brings me to point 2, IF you have genetically capable fish, how do you get these humps big. Were they the dominant fish? What foods were they eating? Did they only have it during breeding (though with these fish, you can expect it almost every other week!).

You are definitely right, Caveman, their nuchal humps do increase during courtship. I have had roughly 15 pairs of these fish in the last 10 years or so (they are like guppies to me - the one fish I keep going back to), and I have never, EVER gotten them this big, even when I acquried pairs that were 10"+ males. Someone out there must know the 'secret' to getting their nuchal humps maximized.

BTW, Midas/Red Devil complex are truly evil fish in small tanks, but even in my 230, they are PUSSYCATS! They rule the tank (though my Oreochromis is double their size and every now and then chases them off) but they are definitely not a problem in a large tank.

 

[Caveman]

One thing that I really found help Midas get the large Nuchal hump is to divide another hyper dominant species of Cichlid in the same tank with a piece of plexi glass. Fish like Trimac, Dovii, Buttikoferi, and Istlanum will constantly charge at the Midas and the Midas will always be ready to charge at them. The reason I like this method is because since the fish never actually come into contact they are not sure who is more dominant so they both end up thinking they are dominant and in turn both end up with the benefits of being the dominant Cichlid. I have never tryed Midas/Midas combo with the divider method but I suppose that would probally be the most effective way to do it if you are looking to grow a MONSTER hump on your midas. I feed New Life Spectrum Pellets, Hikari Cichlid Gold Pellets, Hikari Krill and Night Crawlers from my yard.

 

[redtailfool]

If possible try to research into the "bloodlines" of midas you are going to
buy. Find out if the father had a huge Nuchal Hump . Genetics does play
a big part of a huge hump. Just like flowerhorns... some have humps some dont..
genetics does play a big part.