Red Tiger cichlid

Synonyms: Parachromis motaguense

Common Name: Red Tiger cichlid

Family: Cichlidae

Maximum size: 8 to10" for females and 12" for males

Life span: 10+ years

Originates from: Central America. Honduras, Atlantic slope of Guatemala and El Salvador

Minimum tank size: 75g for one and 180g for two.

Water Region: All

Temperature: 72-80F. The Red tiger is very tolerant of a fairly wide range in temperature.

pH: ~7.0 to 7.8. This species is very tolerant and provided you properly acclimate them, they will accept a wider range of ph.

Diet: Piscivore. In the wild the Red tiger is an enthusiastic predator feeding mostly on smaller fishes and some invertebrates. In the home aquarium, the Red tiger should be provided with a varied diet of pellets and food sticks along with live, frozen, or freeze dried.

Tank mates: silver dollars, tinfoil barbs, plecos, and other larger similar temperamental cichlids. Note if keeping tank mates you need a lot of space due to the Red Tigers aggressive nature.

Temperament: The Red Tigerisone of the more aggressive fish of the Parachromis. In my opinion the motaguense is more aggressive and territorial than their cousins the Jaguar.

Description: Red Tigers have a yellowish gold background with brownish red speckles across the body. There are also several black blotches that run down the centre of the body to the tail.

Sexing: Males Red Tigers’ will grow larger than females. There overall coloration will be a silver color with some blue on the cheeks and gill covers. Also, a male will have red sparkling over their entire body and fins. Female Red Tigers’ will have a base yellow color with a broken black horizontal line. They will also have red on the cheeks and gill covers.

Breeding: The female Red tiger will guard the eggs and fry while the male will guard the surrounding area. Once paired, the Red tigers’ will meticulously guard their eggs or fry and will kill any fish that gets too close to the nesting area.