Jewel Cichlid

Hemichromis bimaculatus

Also known as: Jewelfish, Red jewel cichlid

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 22–28°C
• pH: 6.5–7.8
• Hardness (GH): 89–268 ppm (5–15 dGH)

Values above are general hardness (GH). For carbonate hardness (KH), the buffer that keeps pH stable, see the water parameters guide.

Care Summary

In breeding dress the jewel cichlid is one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the trade: a deep blood-red body dusted from gill to tail with glittering jewel-blue spangles, lit up like something enamelled. The catch, and it is a serious one, is temperament. Jewels are hardy, easy to breed, and intensely aggressive, especially once paired, when a 12cm fish becomes a tyrant that commandeers the tank and attacks anything that approaches the brood. That combination of beauty, easy breeding, and ferocity is exactly why they so often end up rehomed by keepers who expected a community fish. Kept knowingly as a single fish, a species-tank pair, or among other tough cichlids, they are a stunning and rewarding centrepiece.

Tankmates

Spectacularly beautiful and spectacularly aggressive, the jewel cichlid is a West African fish that, in breeding condition, will drive off tankmates many times its size and seize the entire tank. It is not a community fish: keep it as a single specimen, a bonded pair in a species tank, or with other robust cichlids and tough catfish in a large, well-aquascaped setup, accepting that a spawning pair will become intensely territorial. It eats fish small enough to swallow and breeds readily, which is part of the problem, as the resulting aggression catches out keepers who bought a pretty, peaceful-looking fish. Provide caves, rockwork, and plenty of broken sightlines.

Compatible with

• Synodontis Catfish
• Common Pleco
• Bristlenose Pleco

Avoid keeping with

• Betta
• Neon Tetra
• Guppy
• Angelfish
• German Blue Ram
• Keyhole Cichlid
• Cherry Shrimp

Common Problems

• intense territorial aggression, especially when breeding
• predation on smaller tankmates
• being sold as a peaceful community fish
• digging and rearranging the tank

Sources: seriouslyfish.com, fishbase.org · Last updated: 2026-06-20