Amphilophus labiatus

Common Names:

Red Devil

Synonyms:

Cichlasoma labiatum
Herichthys labiatus
Heros labiatus

Family:

Cichlidae

Category:

Cichlids

Distribution:

America - Central; Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Main Ecosystem:

Lake; Lake

Temperament:

Aggressive; Solitary in the wild. Should not be kept with fish with long fins or other Red Devils.

Diet:

Carnivore; Carnivore

Care:

For best health, feed Cichlid pellets, freeze dried bloodworms and brine shrimp. Will sometimes accept flakes. Keep in a large tank, no smaller than 55 gallons. Needs a lot of swimming space. Will uproot live plants as they like to dig. This fish will appreciate caves.

pH:

6 - 7.5

Temperature:

22°C - 28°C

72°F - 82°F

Hardness:

10 dH - 20 dH

Potential Size:

Male: 27cm (10.6")
Female: 22.5cm (8.9")

Water Region:

All; All

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

Male fish are larger than the female with a more ounced hump on the head, directly above the eye. The dorsal and anal fins taper to a sharper point than the female.
The vent of a male is thin and protrudes from the body. while the vent of a female is slightly larger and round in shape and is angled towards the rear of the fish.

Breeding:

Not difficult. A large flat stone is usually used to lay the eggs on. The parents will clean off the rock, and lay 100+ eggs on it. Once the fry have hatched, they will move them to a pit, and guard them. They make relatively good parents. Parental duties extend even after they are free swimming.

Variants:

The Red Devil comes in both a colored and barred variety. Barred Red Devils are much harder to find than Barred Midas though. Colored Red Devils can be any combination of yellow, orange, white or black though the most common colors found are usually orange and/or white.

Comments:

This fish has tons of personality just as an oscar, it can be trained to eat out of your hand.

Main Colours:

Orange, White

Markings:

Not Specified

Mouth:

Normal

Tail:

Flat

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