Hey guys I am very interested in this cichlid, but there is not a lot of information out there on them. I am looking for any advice or tips you have in keeping them. Would a 6ft tank be good for breeding them? I read a 75g can house a single one, but I suppose that would be to small to breed them. Also do all female motas get that bright red color, or is the red a part of where they are collected from or a special gene? I wasnt sure basically if there are Motaguense cichlids and then also Red Tiger Motaguense cichlids. Thanks so much!
Red Tiger Motaguense Cichlid
- Thread starter cjam93
- Start date
You cannot keep a pair in a 75 gallon for long. I would recommend a 125 or 180 for a pair. They are very hard on one another, especially males on the females. You will need to provide enough places for her to hide and or be able to separate them at times. My old pair bred what felt like every other week. When you get a pair that is bonded they will breed often but the male is no less hard on the female but some are less aggressive than others. Other that that they are an amazing species to keep. I really enjoyed my last pair.
There are two color variants, one being the red, and other being the "gold". The Red Tiger variant is more common than the gold. However some RTM are still more "Red" than others. I would say you have a very high chance of getting a female with nice reds regardless ( provided good nutrition, water, stress low), and even higher if you buy it from someone reputable. From what I have heard a 90 would work for a breeding pair, but it all comes down to how nasty the male is towards the female. If your new to Mota's I can tell you a bit more about them
Females grow to around 9-10 inches
Males grow to around 10-12 inches ( possibly 13 if in a large enough aquarium)
* These fish are downright nasty. IME make Jaguars look like wimps. Don't even hope to have a pleco live with them, especially with breeding
* They have a tendency to be shy when younger ( my male is just starting to flare at me @ 5 inches)
* EXTREMELY predatory. if it is living with another fish and it makes a quick movement Mota will Attack
* The best damn cichlid around, you definitely will love them.
Alright awesome thanks! What about the coloration? Do they all get red or just specific ones?
edit: Saw the second reply after making this post. Thanks for all the info guys. I really cant wait to get them. Right now I have a 75g with some ca/sa in it, I want to grow them up a bit and then after a bit move them. Once I do that the RTM will be my next fish. Thanks again!
edit: Saw the second reply after making this post. Thanks for all the info guys. I really cant wait to get them. Right now I have a 75g with some ca/sa in it, I want to grow them up a bit and then after a bit move them. Once I do that the RTM will be my next fish. Thanks again!
I got a pair in a 75 male is about 10in and female maybe 5in. the male grew up in a community for about a year grew to about 7in then started to really beat the other fish bad so moved him to the 75 and got him a female. They breed every 2-3weeks and he's not really too aggressive towards her only when he is ready to breed. I have a small section divided with holes for the female just incase he gets too rough. The females do get red some more than others just depends on the individual. I believe I got the gold variant female to me they look better but either variant are cool some of my favorite cichlids. Hope this helps and good luck
I've kept two or three of these guys now and I have to agree about the aggression. I've kept a lot of nasty fish but the Mota has to be the most consistently scrappy fish I've ever seen. All it does is kill. I've got a four incher in my 220 now with an 8+ inch snook and a roughly 8in male Flowerhorn. The snook should be able to swallow it and the Flowerhorn is no cupcake himself. Regardless, it's fine, and I'm sure it's planning to kill both of them eventually. Mean mean fish, but it looks awesome.
What kind of interaction do these cichlids have with you? When your hand goes in the tank will they attack? I have never had a single cichlid tank and that was one reason I was so interested in these guys. I love some of the interactions you see between cichlids like Red Devil and ones like that and their owners. Someone had a video up a few days ago wearing a glove actually play pushing their fish back and it would come right back and grab onto their glove. That was to cool to me, would a Mota do that?
Mine bites at the syphon, and I'm sure it would have a go at my hand if I had it near enough to it. But I'd slap it straight, I'm not getting punked out when I pay the mortgage.