True red terror

Care at a glance

Overview

A single adult male needs a tank of at least 570 liters at 24 to 28 C and pH 6.5 to 8.0. Provide sturdy rockwork and expect the fish to rearrange the layout. Feed a varied diet of pellets, frozen foods, and occasional whole prey items, and skip live feeder fish. This is an aggressive fish best kept alone or as a carefully watched pair.

In the wild

The true red terror lives in Pacific coastal rivers from the Esmeraldas in Ecuador to the Tumbes in northern Peru. It occupies clear and whitewater rivers with rock and wood cover. This is a large, powerful predator that needs a lot of room. Only the genuine species should be called the true red terror, since the name is also stuck on hybrids and look-alikes.

Good to know

Mesoheros festae was described by Boulenger in 1899 and was long known as Cichlasoma festae. It is strongly dimorphic, with males reaching about 45 cm and females closer to 25 to 30 cm. Breeding males flush brilliant red-orange with black barring.

Did you know

Females guard eggs and fry so aggressively that pairs often have to be separated by a divider until they are ready to spawn.

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