Red tiger cichlid
(Parachromis motaguensis)

For a specific aquarium, a tank of 200 x 60 cm or 80 x 24 inch (front x width) will be ideal for an adult couple. For the community it would be necessary to aim in 350 x 100 cm or 140 x 40 inch (see «cohabitation»).

For the decor, mimic its natural environment composed of rocks, roots and sand. Thus, the ideal aquarium for Motaguensis will consist of roots and hiding places formed with stones. No plant should be added on pain of seeing it mixed and eaten in a short time.

For the soil, opt for a non-cutting substrate like the Loire sand because this fish likes to dig in the ground. It must be avoided that it gets hurt during this activity. Note that pool sand can also be a good alternative.

To avoid any pollution, change the water of your aquarium regularly: a renewal of 10% of the total volume will be necessary each week. Also plan a filtration of at least 5x the volume of your tank per hour to obtain a quality water.

Tip: Adding Pothos and external filtering plants will be very useful for keeping nitrates low. Indeed, these plants will consume the nitrates and thus keep a good quality of water. This will allow you to change only 10% of the volume per week (which is already 60 liters or 13 Imp Gal or 16 US Gal for the specific aquarium). Without these plants, the amount of water to renew is much higher (30%), as well as your water bill! So do not hesitate to use them if you want to avoid selling your aquarium to pay your water bill.