Midas Cichlid Breeding Guide
How to breed the Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus), a large, aggressive Central American substrate-spawner with strong biparental care.
Overview
Amphilophus citrinellus, the Midas cichlid, is a large Central American cichlid endemic to the San Juan River and adjacent watersheds in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It is a biparental substrate-spawner: both parents tend the eggs and defend the territory. The species is one of the most belligerent cichlids in the hobby, so breeding is generally carried out by a single dedicated pair in a very large tank.
Sexing
Males are larger and more robust, with longer dorsal and anal fins and a more pronounced nuchal hump; mature captive males develop enormous, permanent humps. The genital papilla also differs, being thinner and more elongate in the male than in the female.
Conditioning
These are voracious feeders conditioned on quality cichlid pellets supplemented with live or frozen foods such as earthworms, prawns and mussels, plus vegetable matter like peas and spinach. High-protein mammalian foods such as beefheart should be avoided as they can harm digestion.
Breeding Setup
- Very large tank with rocks and flat or vertical surfaces, plus flowerpots, as potential spawning sites.
- Temperature in the maintenance range of 21-26 °C.
- pH around 6.0-8.0 with moderately hard water (90-447 ppm).
- Raise six or more juveniles together so a compatible pair can form naturally.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Courtship is characterised by tail-slapping and gaping, with the female rubbing her lateral area along the male's hump. Eggs are usually laid either in a cave or on a vertical rock surface. The pair becomes intensely territorial once a site is selected.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch in two to three days, and the fry become free-swimming about five to seven days after hatching. Parental care is excellent, with both sexes tending the brood and defending the territory. Free-swimming fry are first offered brine shrimp nauplii. Wild-type young begin to change from a plain greyish colour at roughly 2-2.5 inches.
Common Challenges
The principal difficulty is the species' extreme aggression: pairs may turn on each other or on tankmates, so a very large, well-structured tank is essential. The recorded breeding type is substrate-spawner, which matches the cave and rock-surface spawning with biparental care described by the sources used here.