What Is the Difference Between Midas & Red Devil Cichlids?

Popular family fish tank fish, cichlids are known for their relative hardiness in both natural and artificial habitats. Of the scientific family Cichlidae, cichlids are a part of the largest known family of vertebrates. These fish live in a variety of regions, from Africa to Central and South America. Ranging in length from less than an inch to over 3 feet, the appearance of cichlids depends strongly upon the specific species of cichlid. Among the more popular species of cichlids commonly used as pets, both the Red Devil and the Midas cichlids look almost identical, and therefore are extremely difficult for fish owners to tell apart. While part of the difficulty in distinguishing between the two species lies in the fact that many pet stores actually sell hybrids of the two, there still are actual distinct differences between the two breeds.

  1. Number of Eggs

    • The Red Devil cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellm) lays about 700 eggs per laying period. While the female Red Devil certainly resembles the Midas in its colorings, pattern, and general body shape, the Midas actually lays a much higher number of eggs than its almost identical twin. In this case, the Midas cichlid can lay over 1,000 eggs per laying period. Even though most pet owners will probably never count the number of eggs laid, this difference of about 300 eggs still exists as a distinguishing factor between the two species.

    Interaction with Fish

    • Red Devil and Midas cichlids interact with other species of fish differently. The Red Devil cichlid is decidedly less aggressive than the Midas cichlid. While these species̵7; interactions with other fish in their natural habitat in the waters of Central America may not seem too significant amidst the many aquatic interactions between various species in the region, this behavior does become very important in an aquarium setting. Because the Midas is more aggressive, pet owners of this species are advised to only keep Midas fish in any one tank; other species should not be kept within the same tank as this pet. Red Devils, on the other hand, are thought to live well with other species of cichlids.

    Size

    • The maximum size for the Red Devil and Midas cichlids varies. Red Devils are typically the smaller of the two cichlids, measuring up to about 10 inches; Midas cichlids are known to grow to about 12 inches. However, as with many aquarium fish, the size that pet cichlids will grow to often depends on the size of the fish tank in which they are kept.

    Lips

    • The greatest readily observable difference between the Red Devil cichlid and the Midas cichlid is in their lips. A mature Midas will normally have thick lips and a short snout, while a mature Red Devil sports thinner lips with a longer snout.