The electric blue jaguar cichlid is a noticeable species in the cichlid family, which is found in the fresh waters of Costa Rica, Honduras, and Central America.
This fish is also a great addition to the collection of any home aquarium with its outstanding appearance and characteristics. So, what is so special about the electric blue jaguar cichlid?
How long can a blue jaguar cichlid survive? How to raise this species properly? I will provide every basic information about this species in this post.
Contents
An Overview Of Electric Blue Jaguar Cichlid
The scientific name of the electric blue jaguar cichlid is Parachromis Managuensis. The origin of its English name is inspired by the fish’s appearance, which shares many traits with a jaguar.
In Costa Rica, where this species is abundant, the blue jaguar cichlid is often called guapote Tigre. So, what do they look like? What are the typical behavior and temperament of this species? The sections below will tell you.
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Appearance
The electric blue jaguar cichlid is a large and elongated species with very distinctive fins. Male blue jaguar cichlids can reach around 14 inches when kept in captivity, while the female body size is 12 inches.
However, the blue jaguar can grow much larger in the wild, reaching up to 24 inches in length and 3,5 pounds in weight. Their typical color is silver, or sometimes mixed with bronze or gold.
The signature trait of blue jaguar cichlids is the black splotches on their body, which look like black stripes when they haven’t matured.
Males’ bodies are also longer and more elongated than females, which can be used to differentiate their genders.
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Temperament
The blue jaguar cichlid is a native aggressive species that will bite, nip, and attack any smaller fish getting into its eyesight. Due to their territorial instinct, blue jaguar cichlids will be threat to any new fish.
Behavior
Besides their aggressive nature, blue jaguar cichlids regularly hide in caves or behind rocks in the wild. They are also energetic and like to move around a lot to search for small plants and prey.
Most of the time, jaguar cichlids swim near the tank’s bottom and rarely reach the middle water level. Its active nature also soothes down at night, when they spend time resting quietly.
Lifespan
A healthy electric blue jaguar cichlid can survive for up to 15 years, which is significantly longer than the other species. Under ideal water conditions and temperatures, they can live for even longer.
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Electric Blue Jaguar Cichlid Care Guide
An ideal environment for electric blue jaguar cichlids is murky, warm, and neutral habitats. Despite their aggressiveness and large size, this species can grow very well in domestic environments if you take proper care.
Tank Environments
A 30-gallon tank is ideal for small blue jaguar cichlids, but you need a larger tank (at least 70 gallons of water) for mature ones. The larger the tank, the more comfortable for the fish.
The tank should have a lot of sand in the bottom, plus synthetic plants, small driftwood, and rocks where the fish can hide. The best water material is between 73° and 82° Fahrenheit with a pH level from 7 to 8,7.
Diet
Blue Jaguar Cichlid is carnivorous, but they can still digest pellets, flakes, and other vegan food. Therefore it’s very hard to raise a mature blue cichlid caught in the wild.
You should raise a small jaguar cichlid and train it to follow the domestic diet. It’s best to include nutritious and protein-rich components in its food to ensure healthy growth.
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Diseases
Diseases are not a big threat to electric blue jaguar cichlid thanks to their sturdy and hardy nature. However, they are still prone to domestic aquarium diseases like fin rot and Ich if you don’t take proper care.
Therefore, it’s best to maintain a suitable water condition and keep them active during the day to reduce stress.
Breeding
The blue jaguar cichlids usually form pairs in their breeding season, and their breeding success rate is high. However, the fish will become more aggressive during this process.
Therefore, you should put a pair of blue jaguar cichlids in a separate tank during their breeding season. Raising the water temperature a bit will also speed up the process and increase the chance of success.
Tankmates
It’s best to put in fish with similar sizes to the blue jaguar cichlids. If you want the cichlids to have tankmates, grow the fish together when they’re still small to reduce the aggressiveness.
Some possible choices are large-sized catfishes or put in cichlids of the same species and sizes. But don’t put too many jaguar cichlids in the same tank; just a pair or three fishes are sufficient.
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FAQs
How Big Can Jaguar Cichlids Get?
Matured jaguar cichlids are very large, usually between 16 and 24 inches in size (41 cm to 61 cm), and have around 3,5 pounds (1,6 kg) in weight. Male jaguar cichlids are typically larger than female ones.
Are Jaguar Cichlids Hardy Fish?
Jaguar cichlids are very resilient and can adapt well to different living habitats with harsh conditions. However, you still need to guarantee excellent water quality and a comfortable environment to ensure their healthy growth.
What Fish Can Go With A Jaguar Cichlid?
Electric jaguar cichlids are aggressive and dangerous, so you should not put them in a tank with small fish. Their ideal tank mates are the other cichlids (large size) or large catfish.
Some excellent examples are the green terror cichlid or Oscar fish.
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Do Jaguar Cichlids Grow Fast?
Electric jaguar cichlids can grow very fast. They can reach adult size (15 inches) in just two months if you give them proper care and an ideal living habitat. However, reaching their maximum size takes around six months to one year.
Can Jaguar Cichlid Live Together?
Due to their aggressive nature, Jaguar cichlids can sometimes attack their species. Therefore, it’s not advisable to put many jaguar cichlids into a medium-sized tank.
However, you can still put a pair of jaguar cichlids into a large aquarium tank. Ensure that they are both mature and have similar sizes.
Final Thoughts
The electric blue jaguar cichlid is an excellent piece in any aquarium collection, but it’s very hard to raise due to its native aggressiveness and distinct features. Therefore, you must prepare carefully before nurturing this species.
If you are an experienced aquarist who is willing to spend a lot of time and care for the fish, the electric blue jaguar cichlid is a suitable choice.
I hope the details provided in this post can help you understand more about this species. Thank you for reading!
