Freddy Cichlid

Synonyms: Parachromis friedrichsthalli

Common Name: Freddy Cichlid, Yellow-Jacket cichlid

Family: Cichlidae.

Maximum Size: 10" for females and 12" for males.

Life Span: 15+ years

Originates From: Central America. Southern Mexico, to Guatemala and Belize

Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons

Water Region: All

Temperature: 72-80F. The Freddy is very tolerant of a fairly wide range in temperatures

pH: 7.0 to 8.0

Diet: Piscivore. In the wild the Freddy cichlid is an enthusiastic predator feeding mostly on smaller fishes and invertebrates. In the home aquarium, Freddy’s should be provided with a diverse diet of pellets, food sticks along with live, frozen, or freeze dried foods.

Tank Mates: Other large cichlids. The Freddy is extremely aggressive towards other Freddy’s and if you are keeping more than one Freddy in the same tank I suggest using a 125g to start.

Temperament: Extremely aggressive. The Freddy is not as aggressive as it's larger cousins the Managuense, the Motaguense and the Dovii but the Freddy is not a Wussy.

Description: Freddy cichlids have a distinctive yellow base coloration, with black banding that stretches the length of there body. The combination of yellow and the black bars give it the look of a Yellow-Jacket hence the name Yellow-Jacket Cichlid.

Sexing: Male Freddy’s will grow larger than females.

Breeding: A Freddy pair will form around 4 to 6 inches. The female will guard the eggs and then fry while the male will guard the surrounding area. Once paired, Freddy’s will meticulously guard the eggs, fry and will injure or kill any fish that gets too close to the nesting area.