Curve-bar cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a big, muscular Mexican cichlid for hard-water setups, kept as a single fish or a breeding pair. It works the bottom, digging in the sand and crunching snails, and it becomes very aggressive and protective when it spawns, so choose tankmates with real care and give it a large tank with room to retreat. Feed a varied diet with snails, other meaty foods, pellets, and some greens. It reaches around 25 to 30 centimeters, so plan on a long, heavy tank of at least 400 liters with sand, sturdy rockwork, and hard, alkaline water.

In the wild

Herichthys labridens lives in spring-fed lagoons and headwaters of the upper Panuco basin in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, most famously the crystal-clear Laguna Media Luna. These springs run hard and alkaline over pale rock, so keep the pH high, between about 7.5 and 8.5, with a temperature of 24 to 29 C. Give it a floor of sand it can dig, plenty of rounded stone and rockwork for cover and spawning sites, and very clean water.

Good to know

Herichthys labridens is a large Central American cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching around 25 to 30 centimeters. Its name means wrasse-toothed, for the specialized teeth it uses to crush snails, a favorite food. Breeding fish turn custard-yellow to gold overlaid with bold black markings. It is a substrate spawner, a pair guarding eggs and fry, and it is threatened in the wild by habitat loss and introduced species.

Did you know

Its home spring, the Laguna Media Luna, is so clear and blue that it is a well-known diving spot. This heavy, snail-crushing cichlid breeds in water that looks almost bottled, welling up from the ground over pale limestone.

Common questions

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