Midas cichlid (red devil)

Care at a glance

The Midas cichlid and the red devil are two closely related Central American cichlids that get mixed up in the trade: hefty, orange to red fish that develop a nuchal hump on the head over the years. They are known for their personality, recognising their keeper and snapping at anything that moves in the tank, hands included.

It is a fish for a large, sturdily furnished tank without loose plants and with rocks that cannot topple; it digs and rearranges everything. Keep it alone or as a pair in a tank of five hundred litres or more, since almost every tankmate is eventually chased off or eaten. Heavy filtration is a must, as it eats and fouls the water like a small carp.

Good to know

• Outgrows most home tanks
• Territorial
• Digger — needs fine sand
• Preys on shrimp and snails

Best not combined with

• Neon tetraParacheirodon innesi
• GuppyPoecilia reticulata
• AngelfishPterophyllum scalare
• Discus (common)Symphysodon aequifasciatus
• Heckel discusSymphysodon discus

Related species

• Golden dwarf cichlid (nannacara)Nannacara anomala
• Spotted blue-eyePseudomugil gertrudae
• Amazon pufferColomesus asellus
• Macmasteri dwarf cichlidApistogramma macmasteri
• Lemon cichlid (leleupi)Neolamprologus leleupi
• Tropheus (duboisi, moorii)Tropheus sp.