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Rainbow CichlidFamily: Cichlidae Herotilapia multispinosaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Russell PattonBe the first to add a comment! Said to be the smallest of the Central American Cichlids, the colorful Rainbow Cichlid is a great addition to a community aquarium!Rainbow Cichlid Contents The Rainbow Cichlid is a very colorful little fish though it can change color rapidly depending on its mood or if it is spawning. It is easy to house because it does not get to a large size, and being peaceful it can be kept with regular tropical fish, much like Discus and German Rams. Like other cichlids they need to be kept in clean water, accomplished with regular water changes. They are hardy fish and very easy to care for. A fine gravel substrate with rocks and pieces of driftwood for hiding places will make your Rainbow Cichlid feel right at home. They will also enjoy a heavily planted aquarium and will not generally disturb the plants. If you are going to have plants though, it's best to make sure they are hardy and and well rooted. The Rainbow Cichlids, unlike other Central American cichlids, have tricuspid teeth. These teeth allow them to feed on the filamentous algae which makes up a good part of their diet in the wild. This does not pose any real dietary restrictions in the aquarium though, because they are not overly picky eaters. Their teeth have gained them their own monotypic genus under the name of Herotilapia and this fish is the only species in this genus. For more Information on keeping this fish see: |
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Distribution: The Rainbow Cichlid was described by Günther in 1866. They are found in Central America on the Atlantic slope from the Patuca River in Honduras to the Matina River in Costa Rica. They are also found on the Pacific Slope from the Guasaula River in Nicaragua to the Tempisque and Bebedero rivers in Costa Rica. They inhabit lakes and swamp areas with muddy bottoms feeding on insect larvae, detritus and algae.
Status: This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.
Description: The Rainbow Cichlid is a small colorful fish. The body is a golden to orange color and has an irregular black horizontal bar that runs from behind eye on the gill cover back to the tail fin. The eyes are orange and they have orange in most of the fins. The exceptions are the pelvic fins which are bright blue and the anal fins which are a mix of the two colors, with more blue towards the front and the last 1/3 being all orange. Their dorsal fin is orange with this same blue at the tips. It lives to about 8 years.
Unlike other Central American Cichlids, they have tricuspid teeth that allows them to feed on filamentous algae, that makes up a large amount of their diet. It is this feature that gained them their own genus name of Herotilapia.
All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense "smells" in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being "sampled" for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to "smell" the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.
Male Rainbow Cichlid and offspring Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Dan Coulson
Size - Weight: The Rainbow Cichlid grows to a length of 2 1/2 - 5" (7 - 13 cm), mature males tend to be a bit longer than the females.
Care and feeding: The Rainbow Cichlid is an omnivore that is not an overly picky eater. They will eat prepared foods including tubifex, freeze-dried bloodworms, ocean plankton, and floating food sticks. Feed a vegetable based flake as well. Feed twice a day in smaller amounts as this will keep the water quality higher over a longer time. Some suggest that a one day a week fast is also beneficial. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
A pair can be put in a 20 gallon tank, with 50 gallons suggested if kept with other fish. They prefer slow to moderate moving water along with good efficient filtration. Provide a fine gravel substrate with rocks, roots, and pieces of driftwood for hiding places. They will also enjoy a heavily planted aquarium and will not generally disturb the plants. If you are going to have plants it's best to make sure they are hardy and and well rooted. Do water changes of 20% weekly, depending on stocking numbers.
The Rainbow Cichlid is a rewarding specimen for the aquarist as it is easy to keep but they are subject to infections as well as other diseases that ail all freshwater fish. One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers suggestions. A copper test also can be used to keep the proper levels. You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication treatment. Intestinal disease can be treated with metronidazol.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions: Hardness: 5 - 20° dH, 5 - 10 ° dH for breeding
Ph: 6.5 - 8.0, 7.0 for breeding
Temp: 72 - 77° F (22 - 25° C), 82° F (28° C) for breeding
Social Behaviors: The Rainbow Cichlid is a community cichlid. In a community cichlid tank of larger semi-aggressive cichlids, it can be kept with other same sized South American cichlids.. Species like the Firemouth Cichlid, Blood Parrot, and Convict Cichlid can make good tank mates due to their non-competitive nature, but be sure to keep an eye on them and make sure everyone's doing okay. They can also be kept in a tropical tank with catfish, certain live bearers, tetras, and plecostomus.
They can readily be kept singly or in pairs. Being relatively peaceful, if the tank is large enough they may even be housed with another pair . Like all cichlids these fish do become territorial during spawning.
Sexual Differences: Hard to tell except the male will have more pointed dorsal and anal fins and may be more colorful. Females will be smaller when this fish is full grown.
Breeding/Reproduction: The Rainbow Cichlid are open breeders and form nuclear families in which the older siblings care for the younger. Buy several juveniles and let them form pairs. Once you have a pair, condition them on frozen foods like brine shrimp and blood worms. Provide a flower pot or flat stone for the spawn. The pair may turn a dark color when getting ready to spawn. The female will lay 300-1,000 eggs out in the open on a rock or root. To circulate water over the eggs they will fan them with their fins. After 3 days the parents will move the newly hatched wigglers to another area of the tank. At times new parents may eat some of the fry.
The fry can be fed freshly hatched baby brine shrimp or Cyclopeeze. After a week you can feed them crushed flake food. It would be a good idea to remove any other fish that may eat the fry during the night like catfish or plecostomus. See more about cichlid breeding in: Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability: The Rainbow Cichlid is readily available both in fish stores and online. They range from about $5.50 - $7.00 USD for juveniles, and around $15.00 USD for adults.
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