TankBud

Istlanus cichlid

Amphilophus istlanus

Also known as Mexcalpique del Balsas, Balsas cichlid, Red side cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Istlanus cichlid (Amphilophus istlanus)
Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–84°F
24–29°C
pH
7.0–8.2
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
119 gal
450 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Balsas basin, Pacific Mexico

Overview

The Istlanus cichlid is a large, very aggressive cichlid from Mexico's Balsas basin that digs and holds the bottom of a big tank. Keeping it well takes some experience.

Did you know

The Istlanus cichlid is the only cichlid native to the whole Balsas basin. That lone status now counts against it, as introduced tilapia and other cichlids spread through its rivers and crowd it out.

Caring for the Istlanus cichlid

Give the Istlanus cichlid a big tank of at least 119 gal (450 L), with a sand and gravel floor. It digs heavily, most of all when it comes into breeding condition. Provide plenty of solid shelter among large stones, rock and driftwood, so weaker fish can escape and a pair can hold a territory.

Keep the water neutral to hard and mildly alkaline, at 75 to 84°F (24 to 29°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. Run strong filtration to suit a large, digging fish, with some current from the filter. In the wild it feeds mainly on insects and invertebrates. Offer a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen foods such as bloodworm and prawn, and some plant matter.

Keep it singly or as one tested pair. It is shy while young but grows into a very aggressive, territorial fish. It is a poor fit for a mixed community unless the tank is large and the tank mates are big and robust.

A spawning pair cleans a rock or root, lays its eggs there and defends the fry together. Spawning it is of moderate difficulty.

Good to know

Amphilophus istlanus is a large member of the family Cichlidae, rose-washed on the flanks with dark saddle markings. It was described by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder in 1899.

In the wild

The Istlanus cichlid lives in the rivers of the Balsas basin, in the dry Pacific hinterland of Mexico. There it swims in warm water flowing over stony beds.

Common questions

What size tank does an Istlanus cichlid need?

An Istlanus cichlid needs at least 119 gal (450 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Istlanus cichlid need?

An Istlanus cichlid is comfortable at 75–84°F (24–29°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.2.

What does an Istlanus cichlid eat?

An Istlanus cichlid eats a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen foods such as bloodworm and prawn, and some plant matter. In the wild it feeds mainly on insects and invertebrates.

How big does an Istlanus cichlid get?

An adult Istlanus cichlid reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

How does an Istlanus cichlid breed?

An Istlanus cichlid pair cleans a rock or root and lays its eggs there. Both fish defend the fry, and spawning is of moderate difficulty.

Related species