RadaR
The things we do for our fish..
Common name - Tbar Cichlid
Scientific name - Cichlasoma sajica
Family - Cichlidae.
Origin - Costa Rica and Central America.
Max size - 6".
Care - A tank of 30" of about 20G is fine for a pair and possibly other fish like ditherfish and catfish. However this should be upgraded to 36" when the fish is adult size They arent picky on water but seem best at medium hardness and a pH of about 7.5. Temperature isnt that important either and 25C will be fine. Like with all cichlids, filtration should be very good.
Feeding - Most forms of prepared food, I prefer Hikari. Frozen and live foods are taken readily. Vegetables should be tried, blanch them before feeding.
Sexing - The male will be bigger than the female and have long extensions in the anal, dorsal, and caudal fin. They may develop a hump on their head too. The females will be smaller and will have rounded fins. In the Tbar Cihlids ive seen the male will have red fins and the female will have yellow. These have been known to be different though.
Breeding - The Tbar Cichlid is quite easy to breed like its Convict cousin providing that the 2 fish are a pair. When breeding the Tbar Cichlid will develop stunning dark colours. For best results the tank should be just for them. The tank should have caves, flat surfaces and open bits of substrate. Tbar Cichlids may use any of these to spawn on/in. These fish are brilliant diggers so make sure the decor is stable. A substate of sand or medium grain gravel is good and avoids them damaging their mouths. The pair will soon breed if the water is of no extremes, spawning area is available and the pair is fed a good diet. A slight temperature increase may spur them on. Parents take good care of the fry and will protect them well. Fry are best fed brineshrimp and microworms to begin with, then upgrade to crushed flake/pellet that the parents will chew up and spit out for the fry. The fry should be separated from the parents when they stop caring for them and find them annoying.
Male
Female in breeding colours with fry
Both parents in breeding colours with fry
Scientific name - Cichlasoma sajica
Family - Cichlidae.
Origin - Costa Rica and Central America.
Max size - 6".
Care - A tank of 30" of about 20G is fine for a pair and possibly other fish like ditherfish and catfish. However this should be upgraded to 36" when the fish is adult size They arent picky on water but seem best at medium hardness and a pH of about 7.5. Temperature isnt that important either and 25C will be fine. Like with all cichlids, filtration should be very good.
Feeding - Most forms of prepared food, I prefer Hikari. Frozen and live foods are taken readily. Vegetables should be tried, blanch them before feeding.
Sexing - The male will be bigger than the female and have long extensions in the anal, dorsal, and caudal fin. They may develop a hump on their head too. The females will be smaller and will have rounded fins. In the Tbar Cihlids ive seen the male will have red fins and the female will have yellow. These have been known to be different though.
Breeding - The Tbar Cichlid is quite easy to breed like its Convict cousin providing that the 2 fish are a pair. When breeding the Tbar Cichlid will develop stunning dark colours. For best results the tank should be just for them. The tank should have caves, flat surfaces and open bits of substrate. Tbar Cichlids may use any of these to spawn on/in. These fish are brilliant diggers so make sure the decor is stable. A substate of sand or medium grain gravel is good and avoids them damaging their mouths. The pair will soon breed if the water is of no extremes, spawning area is available and the pair is fed a good diet. A slight temperature increase may spur them on. Parents take good care of the fry and will protect them well. Fry are best fed brineshrimp and microworms to begin with, then upgrade to crushed flake/pellet that the parents will chew up and spit out for the fry. The fry should be separated from the parents when they stop caring for them and find them annoying.
Male
Female in breeding colours with fry
Both parents in breeding colours with fry
