Amphilophus amarillo Breeding Guide
How to breed the Amarillo cichlid (Amphilophus amarillo), a Lake Xiloa endemic that spawns biparentally over rocks and guards large clutches in a cave.
Overview
Amphilophus amarillo is a cichlid endemic to Lake Xiloa in Nicaragua and a member of the Midas cichlid complex. It is a substrate-spawning, biparental cichlid that forms relatively stable pairs and breeds sympatrically on rocky outcroppings, with both parents caring for the fry.
Sexing
Males are a little larger than females and have longer fin extensions. Females show more yellow than males, which tend to be darker. Fish can breed at around 5-6 inches; males reach up to about 14 inches while females stay a couple of inches smaller.
Conditioning
A compatible pair is best obtained by raising a group together and allowing a pair to form. Conditioning on a varied diet in stable water, consistent with its Lake Xiloa origins, prepares adults for spawning.
Breeding Setup
- Rockwork providing flat surfaces and a cave for the female to use as a brood chamber.
- Stable, well-maintained water appropriate to its hard-water crater-lake habitat.
- A large, well-structured tank so the male can patrol around the cave.
- Sand substrate, in keeping with the species' natural environment.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Before spawning the colours of both fish intensify: the male loses much of his yellow and gains black, while the female becomes a more intense yellow. During brood care the female spends most of her time inside the cave while the male hangs close outside, keeping other fish away.
Egg & Fry Care
Clutches range from about 300 to 2,000 fiercely guarded eggs. The eggs hatch in about five days and the fry are free-swimming by about day nine. Fry are large enough to take newly hatched brine shrimp, grow rapidly, and contact-feed on the parents' slime coats. Parental care is described as exceptional.
Common Challenges
Pair aggression and the need for a large, hard-water system are the main challenges. The recorded breeding type is substrate-spawner, matching the biparental, cave-and-rock spawning with extended fry care described by the sources used here.