Amphilophus c. Grow Out Temperature

[platy21]

I’ve read several threads discussing how we most likely tend to keep our Central American cichlids in too warm of water and that the average temperature of Lake Nicaragua is in the mid 70’s. This got me thinking as I am waiting for my A. citrinellus to arrive from Ken Davis- how does temperature play a role in growing out Midas?

The fish I’m expecting are ~1.5” so they have plenty of growing to do. I normally keep my tanks at 78 F (except my Goodeid tanks which are in heated and fluctuate with room temp). My fishroom is in the basement so stays a little cooler. The unheated goodieds are around 70-72 right now, depending on top/middle/bottom placement in racks. These A. citrinellus will be my first experience growing out Midas so I’m curious to hear experienced keepers thoughts. Would they be better off growing out at 78F or a cooler temp? Would 77, 76, or 75 be a better middle range? Or should I aim higher than 78 for growouts?

 

[Jexnell]

Not counting summer highs, I kept my Amphilophus Saggitae at 75° the rest of the year. Like you got them at 1.5, 2in and the keeper male made 12in in two years.

 

[platy21]

Not counting summer highs, I kept my Amphilophus Saggitae at 75° the rest of the year. Like you got them at 1.5, 2in and the keeper male made 12in in two years.
View attachment 1527676
View attachment 1527677

A temperature of 75 seems like a nice middle ground. So you started Casper at 75F from 1.5”? My basement heats up in the summer so I’d probably top 77-78 summer high if setting the temperature at 75. My Sajica tank stayed around 79-80 all summer.

 

[tlindsey]

My basement heats up in the summer so I’d probably top 77-78 summer high if setting the temperature at 75

I have 2 large male Convict in a 180 gallon in the basement temperature set at 72 degrees. The convicts were small but grew fine in that temperature.

 

[Jexnell]

A temperature of 75 seems like a nice middle ground. So you started Casper at 75F from 1.5”? My basement heats up in the summer so I’d probably top 77-78 summer high if setting the temperature at 75. My Sajica tank stayed around 79-80 all summer.

Yes started him at 75°. Late spring early summer I just turned off the heaters altogether and let it ebb and flow with the air temps till fall. I lived in a non air conditioner apt. Highest it got was in the high 80's on those 100°+ days. At night would naturally cool to high 70's

 

[Jexnell]

If you want you can read of all the shenanigans I want thru and maybe save yourself some pain. I kept a journal of all the good, and the bad.

My Amphilophus Sagittae journal

In this thread I will be keeping track of my group of five Amphilophus Sagittae. I got them from Jeff Rapps. They are about two inches long now. They will be living with a group of nine swordtails. The tank is a 6ft long 125gal with an FX4 and an Aqua Clear 110 for filtration, also an Eheim...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[platy21]

Thanks! It seems less might be more here and they’d be better served around 75. Casper’s journal was a great read and can’t argue with your success. I should keep a journal as well, good idea to track progress and changes. Coupled with the fact the natural range for Lake Nicaragua is 75 this makes perfect sense. I did a water change on the tank and got the temp to 75 early this morning in preparation for them to arrive. They just arrived about two hours ago and they look great already. Their bag temps were about 70 so tank temp of 75 made acclimation nice and easy.

 

[RD.]

Any of those temps will work, I’ve grown all of mine out over the years at 78 F. I’ve fiddled around with lower temps, and in my experience 77-78 seemed the best fit for adult cits. In the wild, water temps will be warmer in the shallower parts of the crater lakes, which will also help speed up the metabolism, hence growth of the young of the year.

 

[platy21]

I'll monitor the fish and see how they are progressing and can always slowly adjust from there. My biggest concern with cooler temps at 75 would be slower growth and overall lethargy. I'm not in a race to grow them out but I don't want to actively hinder their growth.

 

[Jexnell]

Early on when I got back into fish keeping I ran across a post here that went in length to heating of our glass boxes. That includes a section of side effects on our fish. After reading it I then changed to keeping all my tanks at 75°f from the 78°f I was keeping them at.
Over the years since I have kept all kinds of cichlids, tetras, catfish, plecos, etc. All were kept at 75°f with no issues at all. If anything I slowed down the growth as compared to people who keep temps higher. Thus causing less stress on the fish due to not manipulating the temperature to increase it's metabolism, to increase growth out of a more natural cycle of growth.