Bandit cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group of five or more young fish in a tank of at least 150 liters at 24 to 28 C and pH 5.5 to 7.5, letting them pair off on their own. Provide sand for sifting and plenty of structure for territories. Feed sinking pellets, frozen foods, and live foods. It is mostly peaceful and only turns territorial around a spawning cave.

In the wild

The bandit cichlid comes from coastal rivers of French Guiana and adjacent Brazil. It lives in calm creeks and back-eddies near cascades over sand and rock. It is a secretive cave spawner that likes overhangs and hollows. Provide sand, wood, and caves in a tank with some open swimming space.

Good to know

Guianacara geayi was described by Pellegrin in 1902 and reaches about 13 cm. It is marked by a bold black bar running through the eye, which gives it the bandit name, plus a dark mid-body blotch. Most fish sold as geayi are actually the closely related Guianacara sphenozona.

Did you know

Pairs spawn inside a cave or under an overhang, and both parents share guard duty over the fry.

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