Red Jewel Cichlid (Rubricatochromis paynei)

Remarks:  The red jewel cichlid (Rubricatochromis paynei) is a species of jewel cichlid that rarely makes an appearance within the hobby. Exporting wild fish has proven very difficult as its native range of Sierra Leone and Liberia has had a number of socio-political tensions and conflicts. Not only has export proven challenging, but things are made more complicated with many other species of jewel cichlid being incorrectly labeled as R. paynei. This mislabeling is primarily due to how difficult it is to visually differentiate the red jewel cichlid from other species within the genus.

  The breeders we imported that have produced the fish we currently sell were imported as R. paynei and we believe them to be such. They match the description of having a somewhat small mouth for their genus along with a black spot on the gill plate and a slightly larger black spot in the middle of the body. However, due to aforementioned trouble with acquiring genuine R. paynei, we think it is right to be transparent that there is always the potential that they are a similar species or hybrids. If there are any developments that cause us to believe they are not pure R. paynei, adjustments will be made.

  Young red jewel cichlids start out a muted tan color with a light scattering of iridescent blue spots. As they grow, these spots increase in number until the entire fish is covered in these dazzling markings. Usually, the base color beneath these shimmering spots is a grayish-tan, but when red jewel cichlids have fry, court mates, and spawn, they develop a vibrant red and orange color. This drastic change is why we recommend keeping this species in spawning pairs to see the best coloration.

  Red jewel cichlids continue the trend of the genus being hardy and adaptable fish. They are not picky about what they are fed, happily eating almost any foods offered. Slightly soft and moderately acidic to neutral pH is preferred, but we have found them to tolerate and even breed in hard, alkaline Florida water. These colorful cichlids are not only hardy, they stay a fairly modest size too and show a more mellow personality compared other jewel cichlids. A tank as small as 20 gallons can be suitable for a pair of red jewel cichlids with a few dither fish like African tetras. If you plan to keep multiple pairs, a slightly larger tank will be needed. We have found that so long as each pair is given their own spawning site, such as an overturned flower pot, three separate pairs can live comfortably in a 40 gallon.

  Breeding R. paynei is very easy and straightforward like with most jewel cichlids. We could actually argue they might be even easier due to their more laid-back disposition, massive clutch sizes, and how good of parents they have proven to be. While red jewel cichlids usually aren’t overly aggressive even when they are caring for fry, they will viciously defend their young if something proves to be an actual threat. When a keeper attempts to remove fry, this species will try to fight them off by biting the keeper’s hand for the entire duration of fry collection. It should be noted that while the parents are not a threat to their own fry, the young fish can actually be a threat to each other. They grow very quickly with larger/older juveniles easily out-competing the smaller/younger fish for resources or even attacking them. To prevent losses, remove older broods when a pair has a new set of fry and keep fry in groups that are of the same size as they grow.