In this blog, I’ll discuss red Texas cichlids, a very unique and beautiful fish. This guide will detail everything you need to know about the fish, including basic facts, breeding challenges, and care.
Let’s take a look.
About Red Texas Cichlids
Red Texas cichlids are intergeneric Hybrids that are bred from green Texas male cichlids and female blood parrots. The female blood parrot is what’s responsible for the beautiful red color and fading, and the green Texas cichlid gives the fish its pearl pattern.
However, to really breed true red Texas cichlids that exhibit all of the breed’s hallmark characteristics is quite a challenge, as I will detail later on in the blog.
Note: This fish is not recommended for beginning aquarists. Although gorgeous fish, they can be difficult fish to keep, as you will see.
Origin of Red Texas Cichlids
Since this fish is a hybrid of both the green Texas male cichlid and female blood parrots, they are not found in nature. Let’s take a look at their origins.
The Texas male cichlid, as you might have guessed, is native to rivers and lakes in northern Mexico. They can also be found in lakes and rivers in the southern parts of Texas.
Blood parrots, which are also hybrids and go by the name parrot cichlid, were first bred in Taiwan in 1986.
So basically, the red Texas cichlid is a combination of three different cichlid species. This can make things very interesting.
Appearance
The red Texas cichlid comes in a variation of colors, actually—orange, yellow, and well, red. And, it’s that highly sought after red color that is a bit rare and hard to find, more on that later. Because of the fish’s rarity, the price of these fish can be a bit high. They don’t cost quite as much as a platinum Arowana can, but they can cost around $350.
Male red Texas cichlids can develop a cranial bump in old age and are often a brighter red color than females. They are also larger. Females will also have a black spot on their backs.
These fish can grow to be a foot long.
The Behavior and Temperament of Red Texas Cichlids
The red Texas cichlid is a very unique, intriguing, and beautiful fish. But, these are very territorial and aggressive fish. They will harass other smaller fish and even kill and eat them if they can.
They will also fight other red Texas cichlids, so you will need the right tank mates and a rather large tank if you plan on keeping this fish with other fish. I will talk more about these things below.
Another thing about these remarkable fish is their noticeable personalities and intelligence levels.
Aquarium Requirements
Some aquarists say that a 55-gallon tank will work with red Texas cichlids, but if you plan on keeping any other fish in your tank, you’ll want a larger aquarium. Plus, these fish aren’t small with their length of 12 inches long, so consider getting a tank that is at least 75 gallons.
And if you plan on keeping more than one cichlid (or other fish), you’ll definitely want to go with a tank that is 125 gallons or bigger. This will give the fish more room and just be a more optimal tank. Remember, these fish are very aggressive and territorial.
It is essential to create an environment in the tank that is as natural as possible. Use sand or small gravel in your tank. You’ll want to place plants into the aquarium that do not easily come out of place. It’s highly recommended that you provide these fish with hiding spots. Caves seem to work well for red Texas cichlids.
When it comes to the water temperature, the tank should be kept at tropical water temperatures around 78 to 82 degrees.
Feeding
When it comes to feeding, Texas cichlids are omnivores. So they love eating insects, earthworms, freeze-dried krill, ghost shrimp, peas, and other vegetables. And, they’re actually not picky eaters. So they can adjust to most commercial diets. However, it is recommended to feed these cichlids a variety of foods from sinking pellets to live food.
Tank Mates for the Red Texas Cichlids
Let’s be honest; Texas cichlids don’t play well with others. I mean, these guys are pretty much bullies, not to take away from the fact that they are still beautiful fish. But, in short, you can’t just stick these fish in any old tank with any type of freshwater fish. It will be a nightmare.
If you keep red Texas cichlids, you will want to get other freshwater fish that are also a bit aggressive to be tank mates. And, make sure the tank is big enough and has lots of hiding places for all of the freshwater fish in your tank.
You can pair a red Texas cichlid male and female together, but, they too can end up fighting.
Here are some tank mates for your red Texas Cichlid:
- Large Catfish
- Oscars
- Jack Dempsey
- Jaguar Cichlids
- Robust Plecostomus
When it comes to keeping blue crayfish with these fish, it’s not highly recommended. Although crayfish are aggressive in nature themselves, they can’t fight off this fish.
In some cases with massive fish tanks, and proper tank setups that provide lots of hiding spaces, a blue crayfish might do okay, but there’s still a huge risk that it will get eaten at some point.
Breeding
To breed these fish, pick out a male and a female in a tank that has already bonded. If the pair are being kept with other fish, it is best to remove them and put them in their own fish tank. This is because red Texas cichlids are known for becoming even more aggressive during the breeding process than they already are.
Before these fish spawn, you will notice them chasing each other around the tank. Just before laying eggs, the fish will dig out a gravel place to lay the eggs.
Usually, when the female lays her eggs, you can expect to see between 500 on up to 1000 eggs. And, it will only take a few days for these fish to be swimming on their own.
Since the red Texas cichlid is a hybrid, the fry will often vary a great deal. Some of the fish will have lots of pearls; some will have more fade than others. So getting full pearls and full red colors is very rare. And, to make things more confusing, as fry, it’s very challenging to know which ones will actually develop the red Texas cichlid features and characteristics as they grow older.
In short, just because you breed a Texas male cichlid and a female blood parrot does not mean that all of the fry will have the look of a true red Texas cichlid. Only a small percent will.
Red Texas Cichlids: A Recap
Red Texas cichlids are very beautiful fish. They are unique, peculiar, smart, and also aggressive. These are highly sought after fish, rare, and not for beginners.
If you plan on keeping them, make sure you have a big enough tank, and also be sure that if you keep them in a community tank, you select the right tank mates. Because if not, there is a good chance the wrong fish could become fish food.
What are your experiences with the red Texas Cichlid?
