Red Devil

Amphilophus Citrinellum

by Nick Grant - This guy is probably held up as one of the true aggressors in mature American cichlids. There are two varieties that share this name - the Amphilophus citrinellum, which is the type usually found in Australia and the Amphilophus labiatum, a thick lipped variety not usually on offer here.

The Red Devil here is also known as the Midas Cichlid and reaches a size of up to 18 inches. The males have a very dominant nuchlal (forehead) hump and in most aquariums are noticeably kept by themselves. They are extremely territorial and by reputation extremely hostile to most other cichlids.

My own experience is based only on the 14-inch male that I’ve raised from a 2-inch juvenile - “Mister Bubbles”. He is without doubt the tamest fish I’ve ever kept in 25 years and the closest thing I’ve ever seen in mannerism and response to a ‘puppy dog’. He has lived solo for most of his life and presently occupies a 4×2-ft tank by himself. Initially this was because of his aggression to other fish but sadly now, because of his lack of interaction with other large cichlids, is to protect him. I recently tried to introduce him to a 6×2 tank with a Black Belt and Petenia splendida who hammered him so badly that I had to rescue him and he remained in shock for three days back in his own tank. He’s now back to normal. This in no way suggests placing a Red Devil with other fish without monitoring it closely - this is just my experience.

The Red Devil originally comes from Nicaragua although most found in aquariums are from local spawns or imported from Germany or USA. Of all of the Americans, the Red Devil is one of the most striking. In their early stages they can be a yellow with brown blotches but as they mature take on an overall pink colour which sometimes deepens to a red. With their trailing dorsal and underfins, and the dominant hump in mature males they are very unusual.

Along with most of their cohorts they require a neutral to slightly acid pH and soft water and whilst not real picky they need clean water (good filtration) and regular water changes. In my experience they are fairly prone to white spot but this is easily reversed with a good water change.

“Mister Bubbles” eats Arrowana pellets, earthworms (not too large - too big they scare him - what can I say - he’s a wuss!), chicken & mealworms (not too often because they’re fatty) and he loves blocks of frozen bloodworms.

If you want a real ‘pet’ fish - this is the one for you. 4 x 2 foot tank for one mature specimen is absolute minimum with good filtration (I use an AquaClear 500 hang on filter + a Fluval internal filter on this tank). They really need regular water changes but are hardy, easy and very rewarding to keep.