Deppii cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a territorial Central American cichlid, best kept as a single fish or a bonded pair rather than a group, since it will not share space with its own kind once settled. It spends most of its time in the lower half of the tank, working around stones and roots that break the floor into defendable zones. It is aggressive when holding territory, so choose tankmates with care: robust, similarly sized companions that can stand their ground, and never small or timid fish. Feed a varied omnivore diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, with some plant matter. A pair needs a tank of at least 250 liters with open sand and firm cover.

In the wild

Herichthys deppii comes from the Nautla and Misantla rivers of the Mexican Gulf slope, where it holds rocky pools and runs over sand and stone. Give it a floor of sand with piles of rounded rock and some driftwood to mark out territories. The water there is warm and hard of neutral, so keep it around 24 to 29 C at a pH between 7.0 and 8.2, with steady filtration and good oxygen.

Good to know

In the family Cichlidae, this is the true Herichthys deppii, described by Johann Jakob Heckel in 1840 and named for the German naturalist Ferdinand Deppe, who collected the first specimens. It grows to around 15 centimeters. Like other Herichthys it is a substrate spawner that lays eggs on a cleaned rock and guards them as a pair, which makes breeding a moderate rather than difficult project.

Did you know

For well over a century this fish was all but forgotten, described once in 1840 and then overlooked, and it was effectively rediscovered as a living species only in recent decades.

Common questions

Related species

• Pantostictus cichlid

  Herichthys pantostictus

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)
• Tamasopo cichlid

  Herichthys tamasopoensis

  Freshwater

  7.1 in (18 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)

• 

  Barton's cichlid

  Herichthys bartoni

  Freshwater

  8.7 in (22 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)
• Curve-bar cichlid

  Herichthys labridens

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–84°F (24–29°C)

• 

  Pearlscale Cichlid

  Herichthys carpintis

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)55 gal (210 L)75–79°F (24–26°C)

• 

  Texas Cichlid

  Herichthys cyanoguttatus

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)66 gal (250 L)68–90°F (20–32°C)