Pantano cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

The Pantano cichlid is a large, deep-bodied cichlid for a big tank with room to swim. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Caring for the Pantano cichlid

Give a single adult Pantano cichlid a tank of at least 119 gal (450 L), with rockwork and open swimming space. Keep the water at 77 to 86°F (25 to 30°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. It also handles a little salt.

Feed a diet high in vegetable matter, along with pellets and some frozen foods. The Pantano cichlid leans strongly herbivorous, so it does better on plant-based foods than on the meaty diet many large cichlids get.

It is territorial, though less pugnacious than the predatory Central American cichlids, so choose its tank mates with caution. Breeding it is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

The Pantano cichlid, Cincelichthys pearsei, was described by Hubbs in 1936. It has carried several names over the years, including Cichlasoma, Herichthys and Vieja pearsei.

In the wild

The Pantano cichlid lives on the Atlantic slope of southeastern Mexico and northern Guatemala. It occupies slow marshes lined with plants, in fresh and occasionally brackish water.

Common questions

Related species

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  Chisel-tooth cichlid

  Cincelichthys bocourti

  11.8 in (30 cm) · 119 gal (450 L)

  11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)

• 

  Severum

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• 

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• 

  Tailbar cichlid

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  11 in (28 cm)92 gal (350 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Kaligono

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  10.2 in (26 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Blue zaire frontosa

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  13.8 in (35 cm)227 gal (860 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)