Jewel cichlid

Water parameters

Tolerated range for this species. Aim for the middle of each band rather than the extremes.

Tank and habitat

Substrate: sand.

Behavior

Plant interaction: digs up plants.

Feeding

Omnivore that eats anything with enthusiasm. Cichlid pellets, flake, frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysis, live food (earthworms, blackworms), and blanched vegetables. They're active hunters that chase live food aggressively. Feed twice daily. The red coloration intensifies dramatically on a varied diet with carotenoid-rich foods (shrimp, krill-based pellets). A straight dry-food diet produces duller coloring.

Compatibility

• Aggressive, especially during breeding. A pair defending a brood will attack anything in the tank, including fish twice their size. The aggression is genuine, not bluff; they cause real damage.
• Not a community fish. Best kept as a pair in a species tank, or in a large tank (200 L) with other robust, assertive species that can defend themselves: other medium cichlids, large barbs, and armored catfish.
• Beautiful but temperamental. The vivid red coloration during breeding is among the most intense in freshwater fishkeeping. The trade-off is managing the aggression that comes with it.
• Multiple species are sold as 'jewel cichlid' (Hemichromis bimaculatus, H. lifalili, H. guttatus, and others). Care is similar across species but aggression levels vary. H. lifalili tends to be slightly less aggressive than H. bimaculatus.

Origin and habitat

Native to West Africa, distributed along the coast from southern Guinea through Sierra Leone to central Liberia. Inhabits small streams and canals in areas with overhanging and surface vegetation, typically over muddy bottoms. Also commonly called the African jewelfish or two-spot jewel cichlid. Often confused in older literature with Hemichromis letourneuxi; prior to the 1990s, invasive jewel cichlid populations in Florida were incorrectly identified as H. bimaculatus, but are now recognized as H. letourneuxi. The red and blue coloration that gives the genus its common name intensifies in both sexes during breeding. Monogamous pairs form bonds thought to be permanent. Both parents guard eggs and fry with considerable aggression toward tankmates. Females lay up to 600 eggs on flat surfaces such as rocks. After hatching, fry are moved to shallow depressions in the substrate near the spawning site. That same protective aggression means breeding pairs will attack nearly everything else in the tank. Letting pairs form naturally from a group tends to work better than hand-picking; dominant individuals sometimes kill incompatible partners.

Breeding

Substrate spawner that breeds readily in aquariums. A pair selects a flat surface and both parents clean it over several days. The female deposits 200-500 adhesive eggs. Both parents guard aggressively. The red coloration intensifies to its maximum during brood care, with both parents turning vivid red. Eggs hatch in 2-3 days at 26–28°C. Fry become free-swimming in another 3-4 days and are herded in a tight cloud by both parents. Parental care is intense and extended; the parents actively defend fry for 4-8 weeks. Fry eat baby brine shrimp and crushed flake. Growth is rapid. Pairs spawn every 4-6 weeks and are among the most prolific cichlids in captivity. The breeding aggression is the main challenge: anything else in the tank during brood care will be attacked relentlessly.

Common problems

Aggression during breeding is the defining management challenge. In a small community tank, a breeding pair of jewel cichlids can injure or kill every other fish. The only reliable solution is a dedicated species tank or a very large tank with robust tankmates and extensive line-of-sight breaks. Outside of breeding, single specimens are manageable in community settings with medium-sized fish. Health problems are rare; jewel cichlids are among the hardiest cichlids available. They tolerate a wide range of water parameters (pH 6.0-8.0, temperature 22–28°C). Ich is uncommon except in newly purchased, stressed fish. Hexamita (hole-in-the-head) can occur on poor diets but is less common than in South American cichlids. The main non-aggression complaint is that the spectacular red breeding color fades when the fish aren't breeding, leaving a less impressive olive-brown fish.

Bioload

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size