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How to look after
Hemichromis bimaculatus
Jewel cichlid
Gill, 1862

(Other members of the genus Hemichromis)

ADULT SIZE: 15 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Not critical

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 21-24 C

FOOD: Feed Hemichromis bimaculatus small live-foods and fine grade dried foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo (DRC), Congo (Rep.), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

AQUARIUM CARE: This is one of the most spectacular of all aquarium fishes; they truly are like jewels, with their sparkling, irredescent patterning over a rich red background. They are easy to keep, however should not be considered a community fish, as they can get quite aggressive at spawning time. They can be a little shy in many tanks. Provide adequte planting and caves. The Jewel cichlid inhabits a vast range in the wild - occuring in costal rivers in many West African countries. It likes somewhat cooler conditions than some cichlids.

BREEDING: Breeding is possible in the home aquarium. The fish will dig spawning pits in which to lay, and will tend eggs and fry.

Have you bred Hemichromis bimaculatus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Hemichromis bimaculatus breeding reports

Hemichromis bimaculatus
Jewel cichlid

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Hemichromis bimaculatus
Jewel cichlid
breeding notes

BREEDING: Breeding is possible in the home aquarium. The fish will dig spawning pits in which to lay, and will tend eggs and fry.

Have you bred Hemichromis bimaculatus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

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This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Hemichromis bimaculatus, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Hemichromis bimaculatus be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Hemichromis bimaculatus? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
What, if any is the biggest difficulty encountered when breeding these fish? Poor egg production Poor egg survival Poor fry survival rate Deformities Skewed sex ratio
In general, how difficult is Hemichromis bimaculatus to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Hemichromis bimaculatus? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences

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Water conditions: Neutral	Water temperature: 20-23oC
Disposition: Somewhat aggresive on occasions	Community tank?: Only with species of similar size
Spawning Method: Long term (fry appear with adults)	Breeding problems: Poor fry survival rate
Sex ratio:	Breeding difficulty: Easy
Sucess: Fairly unsucessful	Years Experience: 1
Other Comments: My jewel cichlid breeding was purely accidental. I did not realise that there were fry, and by the time I did, only one had survived. The pair spent most of their time behind a piece of slate leaning against the back wall - which, I presume, is where the eggs were laid.
Date this record created: 6th January 2008	Breeding date: 2007
Breeder:	Location: