Honduran red point cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

Best kept as a single bonded male and female pair, not a group and not multiple pairs crammed together, which only triggers fighting. They are not a schooling fish. A pair needs at least 114 liters, or 200 liters and up if you add other fish, with water at 23 to 28 C and a pH from 7 to 8. They spend most of their time near the bottom, digging and patrolling. The mostly peaceful rating only holds outside breeding. Once a pair spawns they turn territorial and aggressive while guarding the cave, so give tankmates room to stay clear. Feed a varied diet of pellets, flakes, and frozen foods.

In the wild

Honduran red points come from the warm streams and rivers of Central America, across Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Atlantic side of Honduras. They live over sand and rock, digging in the substrate and holding small territories around caves. To match that, give a pair at least 114 liters with a soft sand or fine gravel bottom, plenty of rocky caves and hiding spots, and moderate flow. Keep the water tropical with a heater, 23 to 28 C, and slightly hard and alkaline at a pH of 7 to 8. They dig and uproot rooted plants, so use hardy ones like Anubias or Java fern tied to wood or rock.

Good to know

This is Amatitlania siquia, a small dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae. It is very close to the convict cichlid and often confused with it, but stays smaller and is a little less aggressive. Males reach about 10 cm, females smaller at around 7.5 cm, and FishBase lists 7.9 cm standard length. It is a substrate-spawning cave breeder that pairs off and guards eggs and fry.

Did you know

They breed very readily, which makes them one of the easiest cichlids to spawn for the first time. A pair will pick a cave, clean a flat surface, and lay eggs with little prompting, then both parents guard the eggs and shepherd the fry around the tank. If you want to watch cichlid parenting up close without much fuss, this is a good place to start.

Related species

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  Convict Cichlid

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• 

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• 

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• 

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