Pantostictus cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a hard-tempered Mexican cichlid, so keep it as a single fish or a carefully matched pair and never crowd it with others of its kind. It holds territory on the bottom and becomes markedly more aggressive as it nears breeding size, speckling darker as it settles in and claims its patch. Tankmates should be robust, similarly sized fish that can stand up to it, and even then you should watch for bullying and give everyone escape routes. It is an omnivore that takes sinking pellets, frozen foods, and some vegetable matter. Allow at least 300 liters with sand, rockwork, and clearly divided territories.

In the wild

It comes from the lower Panuco and Tamesi drainages on the Atlantic coast of Mexico, living in slow rivers, murky lagoons, and coastal lakes over mud and sand, sometimes in slightly brackish water. Give it a sand bottom, plenty of rock and wood for cover and boundaries, and strong filtration. Keep the water warm at about 24 to 29 C and hard and alkaline, roughly pH 7.2 to 8.5, conditions this adaptable coastal fish handles well.

Good to know

Herichthys pantostictus is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae, reaching about 15 centimeters. Its species name means all-spotted, after the fine dark peppering that covers the body, and the fish is sometimes placed in the genus Nosferatu with its close relatives. It is a substrate spawner of moderate difficulty: a pair cleans a firm surface, lays eggs on it, and defends the eggs and fry together, turning intensely territorial while breeding.

Did you know

The name pantostictus is Greek for all-spotted, and the fish earns it: dark flecks are scattered across nearly every scale, so it looks printed with pepper rather than simply colored in.

Common questions

Related species

• Deppii cichlid

  Herichthys deppii

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)66 gal (250 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)