Care
The Wolf Cichlid is known from the Aguan River (Honduras) to the MoÃn River (Costa Rica) on the Atlantic slope of Central America, and from the Yeguare River (Honduras) to the Bebedero River (Costa Rica) on the Pacific slope. Here, it is most commonly found in lakes, but it also thrives in the lower and middle river valleys. This piscivorous species is a giant amongst cichlids, and is really only suitable for the most substantial home aquarium installations and public aquaria. If it is to be housed in the home aquarium, this must be of vast proportions with powerful, oversized filtration to match. Substrate should consist of soft sand, as these fish are messy eaters, and it will be easier to keep clean than gravels; otherwise they do equally as well with a bare-bottomed arrangement, which is also simple to maintain. These fish require plenty of swimming space, but some decor in the form of large pieces of bogwood and robust Anubias sp. or Java Fern motherplants cultivated on the wood will be appreciated. Rockwork can be used, but be sure it is stable, as these fish are more than capable of rearranging things - it may be wise to bond rocks together into a secure formation using aquarium silicon. Wolf Cichlids are voracious eaters that produce a lot of waste, and require continuous excellent water conditions. To this end, filtration must be powerful and the water well-oxygenated. A frequent partial water change regime is absolutely essential as this riverine fish will not tolerate an elevated nitrate level. Several huge canister filters can be employed, but sump filtration may be more prudent as then equipment such as heaters can be kept in the sump and out of the main tank where they would be very easily damaged. The Wolf Cichlid is a voracious predator and will eat anything that fits in its mouth, so tankmates must be chosen very carefully. It is extremely territorially aggressive, so is best maintained singly or as a known mated pair. Do not attempt to house more than one male in the same tank, even if it is spacious. If tankmates are desired, it may be possible to house them with other large Central/South American cichlids, large armoured catfish, arowana, or stingrays. However, careful observation is essential, as is a means of separating the fish should it become necessary. To sum up: these fish are a huge commitment in terms of housing, equipment, maintenance, and longevity. Much consideration needs to be given prior to purchase to ensure its needs can be met. May also be seen on sale as the Rainbow Bass.
Feeding
Offer a varied selection of meaty foods. Smaller specimens will take bloodworm, Mysis shrimp, chopped seafood etc. Larger specimens will enjoy earthworms, prawns, cockles, mussels, crab, crayfish, lancefish, whitebait, silversides etc. Most will also take appropriately sized pellets.
Breeding
This species has been bred in the home aquarium, but it can be difficult establishing a compatible pair. Simply placing a male and female together is unlikely to work and may have disastrous consequences. It is far better to obtain a group of juveniles and grow them on, letting a pair form naturally from the group. However, you would need to have a plan in place for rehoming the remaining fish. Even then, if the female is not receptive, the male may end up killing her, so always have a tank divider on hand should things get violent. When ready to spawn, the colour of the fish will intensify. The courtship dance is a vigorous affair, with much mouthing/jaw-locking, gill flaring, head shaking, and tail slapping. Again, have the tank divider handy in case things get a bit out of control. Eggs are usually deposited on a flat piece of decor, which the cichlids will have cleaned. Up to 1500 eggs will be laid/fertilised, and these can be expected to hatch within 3-5 days. The parents will then move the wrigglers to a pre-dug pit. They will become free-swimming after a further few days when their yolk sacs are used up, and can be offered baby brineshrimp or crushed flake. At this point, it would be wise to separate the male from the female using the tank divider, as the male will be hyper-aggressive in defence of the fry. If carrying out maintenance on the tank, he is quite likely to attack your hands, so be very careful. Parental care usually continues for around 4-6 weeks. Please be aware that a bonded pair may reproduce on a regular basis, and always in exceptionally large numbers. Therefore, it is important to consider whether you should really allow this species to reproduce in the home aquarium, and should have a homing plan in place for the potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of juvenile fish (that are going to attain a substantial size), which are going to quickly overwhelm an aquarium. Once the fry have been removed from the aquarium, observe the adults carefully as the male may attempt to spawn again immediately, and the female may not be ready.
