# red jewel cichlids



## shroi7 (Mar 14, 2016)

hi i need to ask a question i have red jewel cichlids but they are not red i have seen your video on youtube i admire to that fishes are those jewels an other kind or mine jewels have a problem ? thanks for all your answers ( english is not my main language if i had a mistake sorry


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Like many fish, the best color is displayed when spawning.


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## skrillex (Mar 19, 2016)

or it could be their housing situation, i bought a jewel cichlid a few months back, and he was an adult and had amazing colors, so i put him in my 55 gallon african cichlid tank, and i never saw that color again, i thought it was because the store was feeding him something to make him look like that, so i eventually moved him to a 29 gallon planted tank with smaller fish, and now hes back to that amazing color a day after, so now hes in there permanently


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## mbargas (Apr 19, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Like many fish, the best color is displayed when spawning.


Absolutely.

Having said that, there are also subtle genetic differences among the various jewels, which lead to a a more intense red during spawning.

Supposedly lifalili and cristatus have the most intense red, but you never really know what you're getting when you buy "lifalilis". They may actually be line bred versions of guttatus or bimaculatus.

Also nutrition plays a role for obvious reasons.


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