Butterfly peacock bass

Care at a glance

Overview

A single adult needs a tank of at least 800 liters at 24 to 28 C and pH 6.0 to 7.5, and juveniles are usually grown out in groups. Provide strong filtration, since these fish are large and messy eaters. Feed meaty foods and pellets built for predators, and avoid live feeder fish that carry disease. Tankmates must be large and robust, since anything small becomes prey.

In the wild

The butterfly peacock bass is native to coastal rivers of the Guiana Shield, from the Marowijne in Suriname to the Essequibo in Guyana, plus the Branco River in Brazil. It hunts in warm, rocky-bottomed river stretches and quiet pools. This is an open-water predator that grows very large. It needs a huge tank with long, open swimming lanes.

Good to know

Cichla ocellaris was described by Bloch and Schneider in 1801 and reaches about 74 cm. The name was long applied across the whole genus, so many aquarium fish sold as ocellaris are actually Cichla monoculus or Cichla kelberi. Adults carry three dark bars and a caudal eyespot.

Did you know

It is a prized sport fish and has been introduced to warm waters worldwide, including Florida, Hawaii, and Singapore.

Related species

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  Speckled peacock bass

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• 

  Flowerhorn cichlid

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• 

  Jaguar cichlid

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• 

  Redhead Cichlid

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