Parachromis Managuense Fish

Parachromis managuense has a bad reputation, like plenty of of the other massive predatory cichlids. This reputation is largely undeserved, and besides, the positive sides of these fishes over make up for any negative ones. Not to mention that an adult P. managuense is amazingly stunning.

The aquarium ought to be decorated so that natural territory boundaries are created and so that there's plenty of hiding places for the female, as the male can be mean to her if he is not prepared to breed when they is. Larger rocks ought to be placed directly on the bottom of the aquarium since this species digs a lot and can move massive stones. Use silica to glue caves and stone formations together so that they don't fall down.
This species has not got any bigger demands and thrives in most water conditions as long as pH and DH levels are not extreme in either direction.

P. managuense can be kept with other cichlids from the region as long as they are not tiny and can stand up for themselves. This is true for most cichlids species from Central America. P. managuense can be aggressive, but in my experience their aggressiveness is greatly exaggerated and P. managuense leaves most fishes alone. However, in the work of breeding they will protect their young and their territory furiously, and since they are massive they can claim massive territories if normal boundaries are not created in the aquarium. But I require to stress that P. managuense normally is not that aggressive and doesn't beat other fish to death. don't keep them with fish tiny to eat (except for Ancistrus which usually survive despite their tiny size).

They are usually excellent parents and the fry grow very speedy. They guard their young for up to 6 weeks in the work of which time the fry reach a size of one.5 - two cm, or about ¾ inch. After that the parents spawn again and the fry must be removed or the parents will kill them while defending the new batch. However on rare occasions the parents can protect batches simultaneously. This usually ends in the second batch being eaten by their older sisters and brothers, which will grow very speedy on this diet. :-)

Spawnings are usually 4-7 weeks apart. They usually lay their eggs on a rock or root that has been carefully cleaned, and then dig very massive craters right down to the glass bottom in which to keep their young. The fry are tiny but accept most kinds of food. The parents will spit out pellets that they have chewed in to tiny pieces for the fry to eat. The growth rate I mentioned above is based by myself experiences when I feed only pellets. However, I don't recommend you to rely heavily on the parents chewing food for their young. You might observe whether the fry get the food they require this way, but in the event that they don't I recommend you feed the fry in case you require them to survive.

Raising the fry without their parents is much harder and I would not recommend separating fry unless it is absolutely necessary. If feasible, it is better to wait a few weeks until the fry have grown a small.
In case you like predatory fish and are willing to take my word that most of its reputation is undeserved, then I recommend you to try this very stunning fish.