Jewel Cichlid: Stunning Colour, Serious Aggression

In this guide

Overview

The jewel cichlid carries a base colour that can range from olive to deep red, scattered with brilliant iridescent blue-green spots that genuinely resemble scattered jewels, especially in a breeding male at his most colourful. It comes from West Africa and reaches around fifteen centimetres.

This is a fish where the warning needs to come before the compliment: jewel cichlids are among the more seriously aggressive fish covered in this entire series, particularly once paired and breeding, and this should weigh heavily in any decision to buy one.

Tank and water requirements

A single fish or a bonded pair needs a tank of a hundred litres or more, ideally a species-only setup rather than a mixed community tank, given how aggressively territorial this fish becomes. It tolerates a wide range of water conditions, including typical Indian tap water.

Robust, well-anchored decor and clear territorial boundaries help, though ultimately the safest approach with this species is simply not mixing it with fish that cannot defend themselves or escape a determined attack.

Diet and a serious warning

An omnivorous diet of good-quality cichlid pellets, supplemented with occasional live or frozen food, suits it well. It is not a fussy eater.

Once paired and breeding, jewel cichlids will attack and can seriously injure or kill almost any other fish sharing the tank, including fish considerably larger than themselves. This is not an exaggeration common to cichlid marketing but a genuine, well-documented trait, and this fish is best suited to an experienced keeper willing to commit to a species-only tank.

Buying tips

• Priced around sixty to one hundred fifty rupees per fish in most Indian shops that stock African cichlids
• Best kept in a species-only tank given the genuine severity of its aggression once breeding
• Not a suitable choice for a mixed community tank or for a first-time cichlid keeper

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