In this picture, a fish of the Boulengerochromis microlepis species, also known as the “giant cichlid,” is held aloft on Lake Tanganyika. Pam Chin.

But the one Jackson had hooked was a giant, ... based on it’s length and weight. It measured over 12 inches in length and as many males of the cichlid family do, ...

Rio Grande cichlid may grow to exceed 10 inches in length. The Texas state record measured 2.02 lbs and just over 11 inches long, caught by Chuck Dewey on Lake Dunlop (Guadalupe River) in 2011.