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Rio Negro chocolate cichlid

Hypselecara coryphaenoides

Also known as Blackwater chocolate cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Rio Negro chocolate cichlid (Hypselecara coryphaenoides)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
4.5–6.2
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
63 gal
240 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Negro and Orinoco blackwaters

Overview

The Rio Negro chocolate cichlid is a tall, placid blackwater cichlid that hovers in midwater against vertical wood. It is a step up from beginner fish.

Did you know

The Rio Negro chocolate cichlid's species name looks to the sea for a comparison. Coryphaenoides means resembling Coryphaena, the dolphinfish or mahi-mahi, and its high-domed profile recalls that fish's steep, blunt forehead.

Caring for the Rio Negro chocolate cichlid

Give a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid at least 63 gal (240 L), with plenty of tall driftwood to hang beside. Add leaf litter, keep the lighting dim and leave shade it can retreat into.

Keep the water soft and tannin-stained, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) with a low pH of 4.5 to 6.2. Keep the flow gentle. It is an omnivore that takes pellets, frozen foods and some vegetable matter. Feed a varied diet without overdoing rich foods.

Keep a single fish or a bonded pair. It is peaceful for its size and moves slowly, so pushy tank mates can bully or outcompete it. Choose other calm, soft-water fish of a similar size.

A pair spawns on wood or rock and guards the fry together. Breeding is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Hypselecara coryphaenoides is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae, also known as the blackwater chocolate cichlid. It is the steeper-faced blackwater counterpart of the more common chocolate cichlid, with a deep-bodied shape.

In the wild

The Rio Negro chocolate cichlid lives in the blackwaters of the Rio Negro and Orinoco. It hangs under fallen trees and among submerged branches, in warm, dark, acidic water.

Common questions

What size tank does a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid need?

A Rio Negro chocolate cichlid needs at least 63 gal (240 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid need?

A Rio Negro chocolate cichlid is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.2.

What does a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid eat?

A Rio Negro chocolate cichlid is an omnivore that takes pellets, frozen foods and some vegetable matter. Give it a varied diet without overdoing rich foods.

How big does a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid get?

An adult Rio Negro chocolate cichlid reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does a Rio Negro chocolate cichlid breed?

Rio Negro chocolate cichlids spawn on wood or rock as a pair, and both parents guard the fry. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species