Parachromis managuensis is a cichlid

Cichlid

Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...

 native to Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 in Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

: the scientific name means "from Managua

Managua

Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...

" (as in Nicaragua's capital city). It is a food fish and is also found in the aquarium

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 trade where it is variously known as: the jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid or managua cichlid, guapote tigre, Aztec cichlid, spotted guapote and jaguar guapote. It grows to 32.5–35 cm (13–14 in).

The species is a carnivorous, highly predatory fish. Their diet consists mainly of small fish and macroinvertebrates. They prefer turbid, eutrophic lakes, often found in warm water depleted of oxygen. Their native substrate

Substrate (marine biology)

Stream substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. There are several classification guides. One is:*Mud – silt and clay.*Sand – Particles between 0.06 and 2 mm in diameter.*Granule – Between 2 and 4 mm in diameter....

 is one of mud-bottoms, but can also be found in other ponds and springs with sandy bottoms covered in plant debris. They natively live in lakes of approximately 5 m (16 ft) in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 7.0–8.7 pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

, a water hardness of 10–15 dGH

DGH

Degrees of general hardness is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness.General hardness is a measure of the concentration of metal divalent ions such as calcium and magnesium per volume of water...

, and a temperature range of 25 to 36 °C

Celsius

Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...

 (77 to 97 °F

Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...

).

Pets

The Parachromis managuensis (commonly known as the jaguar cichlid) is the most commonly traded species of its genus and is greatly valued among the aquarium trade.
As with all members of the genus, the jaguar cichlid is a large, aggressive and territorial member of the cichlidae. All members of the Parachromis are visually alike, and can only be identified by minor differences in apperiance. The Jaguar cichlid is a large, robust cichlid, displaying a shade of yellow/bronze throughout the body. This yellow colouration is then scattered with vivid black spots which are seen all along the flanks and gill plates. A series of several large black dots then run horizontally along the lateral line area.The fins are often a dark to black colouration, especially when in spawning colouration.

The female is similarly colored, but generally smaller than the male. The female will also lack the elongated extensions to the dorsal fins.

The Parachromis managuensis is capable of reaching 13" (330 mm) in length with the female slightly smaller than the male, reaching lengths of about 9–10" (230–250 mm).
It is highly advisable that a breeding pair of jaguar cichlids, or any other member of the Parachromis, are kept singularly,with the exception of very large aquaria, as a breeding pair will become hyper-aggressive, and pose great danger to any other fish in the tank..http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Managuense_with_eggs.jpg/250px-Managuense_with_eggs.jpg

Breeding

Breeding can be achieved with very little effort and no specific requirements are needed for such purposes. As long as water conditions are maintained at a desirable high quality, a breeding pair of jaguar cichlids will readily spawn. To enhance the likelihood of acquiring a breeding pair, purchase several healthy and active juveniles at a young age (between 6 and 10) and grow these specimens until sexual maturity. Generally, you should be left with a breeding pair or two. These fish will noticeably become more aggressive and territorial, Remove all other fish at this point and keep the newly formed breeding pair separate. When a breeding pair had been successfully established,The male will begin to court the female by displaying his erect finnage as he tries to impress her in an attempt for her to accept his mating invitation. The pair will begin to clean a flat surface if the female is responsive of the male's previous courting behavior.The female with then lay approximately 1000–2000 orange coloured eggs which will then be fertilized by the male. The eggs will be ferociously guarded by both parents and a high degree of parental care is shown to the eggs and fry. When the eggs 'hatch' after approximately 5 to 7 days, the offspring (known as wrigglers at this stage in development) are defenseless and are unable to swim. They are often transported to pre dug pits by both parents, and are guarded. The fry will begin to swim in approximately 7 days and should be fed with baby brine shrimp or alike. If you would like to rear these fry, they should be removed at this point as they will later be consumed by both parents as the female becomes due to spawn once more. Feed the fry baby brine shrimp until the stage where they are large enough to consume blood worm, daphnia and other live foods. When purchasing fish in an attempt to acquire a breeding pair, try to buy fish from different sources. There is a high probability that when buying fish from the same source, Fish will be from the same parents (Siblings). This should be avoided, as breeding fish in this manner may form offspring with genetic disease usually associated with interbreeding. Also, buy fish of a similar size, the chances of acquiring a breeding pair with fish of a similar size is significant to that of attempting to breed fish of different age and size.

Aquarium

The aquarium should be large (400 l +)100g+ for a breeding pair of jaguar cichlids. As with all members of its genus, These fish are large and heavily built cichlids who are aggressive and highly territorial. Decor should be kept to a minimum in such an aquarium and sand or fine gravel should be used as the main substrate. Many pieces of flat slate or rock should also be included for the purpose of spawning.

Diet

The Parachromis are a highly predatory group of fish and are by no means fussy eaters. These cichlids will readily accept most food substances offered. Diet should be varied however. Offer a variety of insect, including blood worm, earthworm, mysis, crickets (for larger specimens). Chopped meat can also be offered along with beef heart (offer very sparingly due to its high fat content) along with prawn and fish (live/frozen). Frozen fish is a much preferred method of feeding fish as many "feeder fish" carry the risk of the introducing disease into your aquarium, possibly harming your fish.

External links

• Aquaticdatabase entry for Parachromis managuensis (Managuense cichlid).