This page will give a completely detailed profile of the selected fish, from A to Z. The profiled fish will be chosen randomly by Badman, and will come from the complete genre of tropical fish. New profiles are added on a regular basis. If you would like to submit a profile for the site please contact me. Don't forget to let us know you experiences with this fish by filling out the

 

 

Red devil is the common name for two species of cichlid fish from genus Amphilophus. In North America, red devils are generally Amphilophus labiatus while in Australia, red devil are generally Amphilophus Citrinellus or a hybrid. {A.labiatus X A. citrinellus}Both species are from the neotropics and are red to pink in coloration. This bright coloration, in combination with typical cichlid behaviors make it a popular and interesting aquarium inhabitant.

Quick stats:

Listed tank sizes are the minimum
Size:	Average adult size: 14" (36 cm)
Tank:	Min. Tank requirements: 75 gallons
Strata:	Bottom, middle
PH:	PH recommendation 7.0 to 8.0
Hardness:	Hardness: 6 to 25dH
Temperature:	70°F to 80°F (21°-27° C)

Classification:

Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Sub Family:	Cichlasomatinae
Genera:	Amphilophus
Species:	labiatus

Common name:

Red devil

Additional species photographs

Discuss:

Badmans' Forum

Distribution

Central America: They are found in the lakes of Nicaragua and Managua.

All red devils begin their life with stripes and they begin to develop their characteristic red coloration from around 3" to 4". They can go through many phases before they reach adult coloration. Which can range from a pale yellow to a brilliant orange or red. Some will develop patches of color,patches of black,black spots and sometimes even black stripes on their journey to maturity. Males will develop an impressive nuchal hump as they grow. Males are larger and have elongated anal and dorsal fins. Some females will also develop the beginnings of a hump although it will never be as spectacular as a males would be. It is almost impossible in this day and age to find a pure Red devil at the local pet store. They are extremely close genetic relationship to to A. citrinellum{Midas cichlid} means that cross breeding is rampant and almost every Red devil offered for sale will contain at least some citrinellum in its background somewhere.. These species do not differ that much in looks or personality. Red devils tend to have thicker and more pointed lips . Where the Midas will have thinner and more rounded lips. If you are after a pure Red devil you must be picky about who you buy your fish from.

The minimum size tank for a single Red devil is 55gal, although they will do far better in a larger tank. I feel that a Red devil should be housed in a 75gal or even a 90gal to be happy. They are fish that need their space. If you are looking to keep a pair you would need at least a 75gal. Tanks should be set up with plenty of open swimming space ..Substrate should be sand or fine gravel.. Red devils tank is more a matter of what your fish decides is best. Rather then what you think it should look like. Regular water changes and good filtration is essential.

Inhabits lakes in its native range.

Once a bond is formed red devils are substrate spawners .A pit will be dug out by the male and female ,then eggs will be laid,usually between 600 and 700 and fertilized by the male. The eggs will hatch in approximately 3-5 days and the parents will move the fry to various other pits that have been dug around the tank. Both parents will be extremely protective of fry for several weeks. This is not the time to be disturbing them..Given a Red devils habit of attacking anything that enters his territory you can imagine how much worse they would be with fry to protect. If you value your fingers do not disturb Red devils at this time. Red devils are heavily muscled in the jaw and mouth area and are capable of doing serious damage.

Your comments:	Add your comments:
Please remember that the following comments are personal experiences and may or may not apply to your setup. Use them as guide to help better understand your fish, like us all individuals will behave differently under different circumstances.
From: Steve Date: 1/20/10 The red devil is by far the best single wet pet you could choose. They are full of personality and not fussy about who they impose that personality on. My devil is housed with just a royal pleco in a 120 gallon tank. He is all over the tank and attacks our dog if he dares to walk past the tank. He is not fussy about food and will make a right mess. The tank should be large and with a sand substrate as devils really like to dig. I have a cave for mine, but he rarely uses it. A fun fish to keep if you treat them right. From: KC Date: 6/5/09 We've had our Red Devil Cichlid for over 2 years and we love him! We were unaware how large he would get, he's about 11 inches now. He has so much personality, he's always interacting with us as we watch tv and whenever we throw a ball for the dog he goes after it in the tank. He also 'attacks' the dog and cat when they happen past his tank. He is very territorial; when we first got him he was in with a Jack Dempsey, Pleco, and one or two others. After a few months though, he went after all of the fish and we had to put him by himself. If you get a Red Devil, I would definitely keep him solo and give him/her a large tank to live in. We just purchased a 90 gallon and he looks great. I highly recommend this fish if you don't mind having it as an only fish. Very territorial and aggressive. From: Josh Cooper Date: 5/19/09 Red devils are not a communal fish, they are OK living with other breads of cichlids but when they grow to around the 10 cm mark they become incredibly territorial. If you want to keep plentiful amounts of cichlids in a tank together it is important that you introduce them to each other when they are young and you must have plenty of fish in the tank other wise some fish will just pick on one and this will most likely end in death therefore if there are many fish in the tank it is hard for one fish to have all the focus of bullying. Also a large size tank is needed to keep large cichlids and lots of rocks and caves for protection and use of distinction between there territories. If you are a beginner then it is probably not a good idea to keep cichlids it is probably better to start with easy fish like your mollies and platies and sword fish they are also not as expensive and easier to keep.

Main index Navigation Badmans Tropical Fish! Fishkeeping ABCs Favorite Fish Fish Families Detailed Information In Depth Definitions Natures Way The Equipment Whats That Mean? Want More Just For Fun Guestbook Site Search, What's New