Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Midas Cichlid

Amphilophus citrinellus (Günther, 1864)

Also called Red devil (shared nickname)

SpeciesShort profile

From Central America: the San Juan River basin of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, including Lakes Nicaragua, Managua, Masaya and Apoyo, in lakes and slow rivers with rocky shores.1 2 3

At a glance the quick version

Length24 to 35 cm1 2

Sizelarge

Bright gold and orange colour forms

Intelligent and interactive

Excellent parents

2 1 3

Looks how to spot one

Large, heavy-bodied cichlid

A thickset cichlid with a deep body. Most wild fish are grey to olive-brown with dark bars, but some turn gold, orange, yellow or white as they grow. Mature males develop a prominent forehead hump and longer fins.3 1 2

Coloursgrey to olive-brown with dark barsgoldorangeyellowredwhite1 3 2

Personality what they are like

A powerful, highly territorial fish with a big personality. It is clever and responsive to its keeper, and best kept alone or as a pair.2 3

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Busy and inquisitive; it digs and moves decor, so heavy items need to be fixed in place.2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Strong filtration and frequent water changes; protect heaters and equipment, and use a secure lid.2

Home where they are happiest

Minimum base of about 150 x 45 cm for one fish, more for a pair; sand, solid rockwork and caves, no delicate plants. Water about 21 to 26 C in aquariums (FishBase gives 23 to 33 C in the wild), pH roughly 6.0 to 8.0, hardness 5 to 25 dGH.2 1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore: cichlid pellets as a staple, plus earthworms, prawns, mussels and vegetables.2 1

Company who they like around

Pairs spawn in caves and both parents guard the eggs and fry.1 2

The story where it all began

Günther described the Midas cichlid in 1864 from Nicaraguan lakes. Its crater-lake relatives have become a classic model for studying how new fish species form, and gold forms bred in captivity made it a favourite with big-cichlid keepers.1 3

Fun facts for the dinner table

1
About one in ten wild fish turn from grey to gold, orange or white as they grow.1
2
Populations in volcanic crater lakes such as Apoyo have split into new species, a famous example studied by scientists.3
3
Pairs like to spawn on the ceilings of caves.1
4
A single spawn can be 300 to 1,000 eggs.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 7 November 2019)1
Taxonomy: Described by Günther in 1864; formerly in Cichlasoma; part of the Midas cichlid species complex3

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Midas Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

Feedingevery day
Water changeAbout 30 to 50% of the waterevery week
Water testevery week
Filter rinseevery 2 weeks

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

FishBase: Amphilophus citrinellus fishbase.seused for taxonomy, range, size, temperature, IUCN, colour morphs, breeding
Seriously Fish: Amphilophus citrinellus seriouslyfish.comused for care, tank size, water, diet, behaviour, breeding
Wikipedia: Midas cichlid en.wikipedia.orgused for names, taxonomy, colour, speciation fun fact

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.