Jaguar Cichlid
Common Names: Jaguar Cichlid, Jag, Mang, Aztec Cichlid
Scientific Name: Nandopsis managuensis
Maximum Size: 10 - 16 inches
Life expectancy: 15 years
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons for one pair
Temperature Range: 77 - 97°F
pH Range: 6.5 - 7.5
Water hardness: dH 10 - 15
Temperament: Aggressive
Origin: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Lake Managua
Aquarium Setup:
Jaguar Cichlids will rip plants apart and even uproot plastic plants. If you use any plants in the tank you will need to glue gravel to the base to keep them from floating to the top. They also prefer low lighting to a brightly lit tank.
Lot’s of rocks and caves will give them places to hide and sleep. If they don’t have the proper places, they will dig really large pits in the substrate. This can also help prevent them from digging up the plants as bad.
Diet:
Jaguar’s love live food, but with their vivacious appetites they’ll devour almost any food. They can be feed pellets, small feeder fish, crickets, worms and even beef hearts!
When feeding Jaguar’s live fish, they should always be small enough for them to swallow whole. They will just repeatedly attack feeder fish too large to swallow and rip them apart in pieces or leave them to die in pain.
Tank Mates/Community:
Most Jaguar’s just don’t like tank mates of any kind and will eat or kill almost any fish that you introduce into the tank. However, some people have had success in keeping them with plecos, Convict Cichlids and even Silver Dollars.
Other large Cichlids may be kept with them as long as they’re not similar in color to the Jaguar. They will definitely eat any fish that is small enough to fit into their mouth!
Tank mates will depend greatly on the personality of your Jaguar. Some are more aggressive and won’t get along with any other fish, while others can live in a community without any problems.
Behavior:
Jaguar’s have a habit of jumping out of the water, they should be kept in a covered tank to keep them from ending up on the floor! They have even been known to jump up out of the water to catch flies passing over the tank!
Color:
While they got their name from their dark spots similar to a Jaguar’s patterns, their bodies are a golden yellow color. When they reach maturity they will have a violet sheen.
They will often show many other different colors depending on their mood. Changing the water often will help them achieve their best colors and also help them grow larger!
Breeding:
Jaguar’s breed fairly easy if they have plenty of room in the tank. Both the males and females need to be around five inches long to be ready for spawning. Both parents are very protective and may become aggressive during this stage.
Because they do become so aggressive during the spawning stage, it’s best to move them to their own tank if you have other fish in the tank. Or temporarily remove the other fish to a different tank to protect them.
Flat rocks or other flat items should be provided for her to deposit her eggs on. The male will follow her and fertilize the eggs. It will only take 3 - 5 days for the eggs to hatch and they will feed off of their yolk sacs for several days.
After about 5 - 8 days they become free swimmers and can be fed crushed flakes, micro worms and baby brine shrimp. The parents will also feed the fry during this time and they will even feed off organic matter in the tank.
Young females can lay several hundred eggs while large fish can lay a thousand or more. With this many eggs, thinning out the fry is essential for developing healthy fish. Some can be separated into another tank after about a week.
Interesting Notes:
The choice of rock colors you use in the tank will have an effect on the Jaguar’s colors! Dark colored gravels tend to make the fishes color dark, light colors will lighten their color too much. Darker colored gravels will however bring their violet sheen out more!
The Jaguar’s orange eye’s will glow a fiery red when they’re angry! And, like many other Cichlids they can often change their colors. Their fins may be bluish purple when they’re happy and turn a orange red when their mad!
