Black Belt
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Scientific Name: Cichlasoma maculicauda Price: Upon Request Origin: Central America Family: Cichlidae NOT AVAILABLE NOW |
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Other Names: Black Belt Cichlid, Blackbelt Cichlid, Vieja maculicauda, Vieja, Red Black Vieja |
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Technical Info
Temperature: 23 - 27 ℃
pH: 6 - 7
GH: 8 - 17
Max size: 25 cm
Min Tank size: 600 Ltr
Position in Aqua: No special swimming level
Description
The Black Belt is an attractive and quite large fish. It has an oval shaped, laterally compacted body with rounded head and the caudal fin is fan-shaped. The anal and dorsal fins join at a point. The body color ranges from white to dark gray with a distinctive wide, vertical black stripe, encircling the mid-section of the body. The throat to the lips and the caudal fin is bright red in coloration. The female has a dark grey body with a red tail and black speckling. The older Black Belt Cichlids, particularly males, develop a hump on the forehead. These Cichlids have an extensive distribution area in the wild, therefore, have many color morphs.
Food
The diet must contain a large component of vegetable matter e.g. spinach, lettuce, kale, cucumber, shelled peas etc. Alternate this with slow sinking pellet/granular foods, large flakes, and frozen foods such as brineshrimp, mosquito larvae, Mysis shrimp, krill etc. Will eat plants!
Breeding
Their breeding is moderately difficult. However, this fish is a great choice for breeding larger Cichlids. As long as there is enough room, the males do not whip the females like other large Cichlids do. The female usually lay up to 600 eggs. The fry are free-swimming within 8 days. Feed the fry with artemia so that they can grow fast.
Compatible with
These Cichlids are quite aggressive, and tend to extremely bullying or even killing weaker fish. In temperament, they are almost rivals the true aggressive Cichlids. Their most suitable tank mates are other semi-aggressive Cichlids such as Green Terror, Texas Cichlids, Convicts Cichlids, and Synspilums. They can also be kept with Cichlasomines, other South American Cichlids, Pimelodids, Loricarids, large Characins, Tilapia, and Hemichromis.
Note
These Cichlids can get infections as well as other diseases. The most common disease is Ich. It can be treated by elevating the aquarium temperature to 30 degrees Celsius for a few days.