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Vieja maculicauda |
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Black Belt Cichlid, Painted Doll |
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Size: The Maculicauda is a very large fish in the wild and in captivity. They can reach 14"+ and actually weight 3, 4, and even 5 lbs. Although 10-12" is more common. |
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Origin: Atlantic side of South Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama |
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Temperment: I've found this fish to be very well mannered, like almost all Vieja species. Although I have heard they can be very aggressive, I have never seen that type of behaviour. |
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Minimum Tank Size: 75-125g |
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Availablity: Pretty common, you should be able to find it without much difficulty. |
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May Be Confused With: none |
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Other Information and My Experiances
I've been raising a single Black Belt for about 18 months now. When I first bought this fish it was 2" long and very plain looking. I believe I paid $10 for him at a local fish store. This fish went into my 500g with a couple Amphilophus, Cichlasoma, and Herichthys species. He has grown steadily ever since and is now about 6". When in a good mood he is a light metallic blue, with green highlight, a flaming red throat and the typical jet black markings. This fish is very colorful, but is most certainly a pure Maculicauda. The extreme coloration makes me think that this fish may be of the Costa Rican race, but I doubt that.
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