True Red Terror – Mesoheros festae

The True Red Terror is a very beautiful, but very aggressive fish. They will be quite quarrelsome with other tankmates, and virtually intolerant of other Red Terrors. Coloration ranges from a pink-red with black vertical stripes as in mature females, to golden tan with red accents on the fins for mature males. As juveniles, these fish have a small black spot at the base of the tail that does not cover more than half of the tail base, as opposed to the very similar Mayan Cichlid (Cichlasoma uropthlamus) which has a black spot that covers nearly the entire width of the base of the tail.

Hiding places like rocky caves and roots should be available to these fish. Due to their size and aggression, they are best kept in a species tank. Feed them meaty foods, frozen and pellets. They are substrate spawners and will delight in digging up their tank substrate, as well as any decor, especially when preparing to spawn.