Jaguar cichlid breeding pair | Jaguar cichlid breeding behavior

Breeding the Jaguar Cichlid may be tricky with some pairs of these fish. As juveniles it difficult to sex the Jaguar Cichlid, males and females all look the same, as the fish mature and reach a size of 4 - 5 inches, males will lose their dark stripes and will grow quicker than the female, his markings will turn to darker speckles and his background colour will take on a gold coloration.

To stand any chance of success you must use a separate breeding tank, during the breeding time the Jaguar Cichlid becomes very aggressive and can even attempt to attack its owner if you place your hand in the tank. The male will show some aggression towards the female so this should be monitored carefully, if it becomes too intense it will be necessary to add a divider in the tank until the male settles down.

Use sand or gravel for the substrate and add some flat rocks for potential spawning sites. The female will deposit her eggs on a flat surface after it has been cleaned, expect hundreds of eggs with each batch. The eggs are fertilised immediately by the male and will then guard the territory. The female will fan the eggs with oxygenated water and after 2-3 days the eggs should become wrigglers.

Do not attempt to feed the fry at this stage, they will feed from their yolk sacs for a few days and only once these have been consumed should the fry be fed.

Jaguar Cichlid fry will thrive on commercial egglayer fry food at first or you can use hard boiled egg yolks, squeezed through muslin, once they grow slightly they will accept newly hatched brine shrimp or crushed flakes.

It is not uncommon for the parents to move the young around the tank, this is typical behaviour from the Jaguar Cichlid hiding their young in the wild from predators.

Like most large cichlids, Jaguar Cichlids will uproot live or plastic plants in an aquarium. Using dark gravel will make your Jaguar cichlids darker in color. Darker gravels also brings out that purple sheen on their bodies.