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Mixteco cichlid

Thorichthys panchovillai

Also known as Gold Mixteco cichlid, Thorichthys sp. 'Mixteco', Thorichthys sp. 'Coatzacoalcos'

FreshwaterFish

Mixteco cichlid (Thorichthys panchovillai)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–84°F
24–29°C
pH
7.0–8.2
Adult size
4.7 in
12 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Coatzacoalcos basin, Mexico

Overview

The Mixteco cichlid is one of the smaller firemouth-type cichlids, for a sandy tank with some cover. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The Mixteco cichlid bluffs more than it bites, like its relatives. It flares its bright throat and gill covers to look bigger.

Caring for the Mixteco cichlid

Keep a Mixteco cichlid as a single fish or a bonded pair rather than a group. Pairs hold a bottom territory and will chase off intruders. A pair needs 53 gal (200 L) or more.

Set up a soft sand bed with driftwood, hardy plants or leaf litter, and a few flat stones or caves for spawning. Leave open swimming space broken by low cover.

Keep the water warm and neutral to slightly alkaline, at 75 to 84°F (24 to 29°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. It needs clean, well-filtered conditions with gentle flow.

Mixteco cichlids feed low down, sifting sand and taking small invertebrates. Offer sinking foods, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, and the occasional vegetable-based pellet. They stay mostly peaceful with calm tank mates of a similar size.

Females carry a distinct black blotch between the fifth and sixth spines of the dorsal fin. Pairs lay their eggs on a cleaned surface and guard the young together, and breeding is of moderate difficulty.

Good to know

Thorichthys panchovillai is a small cichlid of the family Cichlidae, described in 2017 from the Coatzacoalcos basin. It was named after Francisco Pancho Villa, a figure of the Mexican Revolution. The species is polymorphic, with blue, green, and gold or orange forms depending on where in the basin it is found. The hobby knew it as Thorichthys sp. 'Mixteco' before the description, and still sells the forms as the blue, green and gold Mixteco. The describers used the female's dorsal blotch to help tell it apart from close relatives.

In the wild

The Mixteco cichlid is endemic to the Coatzacoalcos river basin, on the Atlantic slope of southern Mexico. It keeps to quieter, weedy stretches over sand and among roots.

Common questions

What size tank does a Mixteco cichlid need?

A Mixteco cichlid needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Mixteco cichlid need?

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

What does a Mixteco cichlid eat?

A Mixteco cichlid feeds low down, sifting sand for small invertebrates. Offer it sinking foods, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, with the occasional vegetable-based pellet.

How big does a Mixteco cichlid get?

An adult Mixteco cichlid reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).

How can you tell a male Mixteco cichlid from a female?

A female Mixteco cichlid carries a distinct black blotch between the fifth and sixth spines of her dorsal fin.

How does a Mixteco cichlid breed?

Mixteco cichlids pair up to breed, laying their eggs on a cleaned surface and guarding the young together. Breeding them is of moderate difficulty.

Related species