- Common Name(s)
- Redhead Cichlid, Quetzal Cichlid
- Scientific Name
- Vieja synspila, Vieja melanura
- Family
- Cichlidae, Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae
- Origin
- Central America
- Temperament
- Moderately aggressive.
- Maximum Size
- 14 inches
- Minimum Tank Size
- 150 US Gallons
- Tank Setup
- Provide sand or fine gravel as substrate and good filtration. Ensure that decor is firmly positioned as they will try to re-arrange it.
- Tank Region
- Middle
- Diet
- They are herbivorous, high protein foods provide a great risk of bloat. Feed high quality cichlid pellets along with some meaty foods such as prawns, mussel and white fish. Also feed some vegetable matter such as spirulina flake.
- Breeding
- They are substrate spawners. The pair will prepare a spawning site, usually a flat rock and then spawning should start. The male can be aggressive towards the female during spawning. The eggs hatch in 3-4 days and the fry become free-swimming around 4 days later.
- Compatibility
- They can be aggressive, so only keep them with other Central American cichlids.
- Ease of Keeping
- Moderate
- Care
- pH: 7-8.5, Temperature: 76-86 degrees Fahrenheit. They require hard water.
They can live up to 10 years.
By Shizhao - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7762757
By Shizhao - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7762757
