TankBud

Sarabia cichlid

Paraneetroplus bulleri

Also known as Bulleri cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Sarabia cichlid (Paraneetroplus bulleri)

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
Herbivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Coatzacoalcos basin, Mexico

Overview

The Sarabia cichlid is a large, current-loving grazer for a big river tank. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

The Sarabia cichlid goes against the cichlid reputation for still, warm water. It is a whitewater specialist that scrapes its food from rock in the current, more like a mountain-stream grazer than a pond fish.

Caring for the Sarabia cichlid

The Sarabia cichlid is a river fish first, and it needs strong current and high oxygen before anything else. Give it at least 119 gal (450 L) of open, current-swept space over a floor of rock and gravel. Keep the water moving and well oxygenated with strong filtration.

Keep it warm, with neutral to hard water at 75 to 84°F (24 to 29°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. It grazes algae and aufwuchs, so feed a vegetable-leaning diet of algae and spirulina foods with some prepared pellets.

It is boisterous and aggressive enough that you should keep it singly or as a pair. Pick only robust tank mates that can take the pace, never small or delicate fish. It is a biparental substrate spawner, and breeding is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

Paraneetroplus bulleri, also called the bulleri cichlid, is a cichlid in the family Cichlidae and the type species of its genus. That genus is a small group of streamlined, current-adapted river specialists. Its torpedo shape is built for holding station in flow.

In the wild

The Sarabia cichlid lives in moderately to fast-flowing montane rivers of the Coatzacoalcos system in southern Mexico. There it grazes algae from current-swept stone.

Common questions

What size tank does a Sarabia cichlid need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Sarabia cichlid need?

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

What does a Sarabia cichlid eat?

A Sarabia cichlid grazes algae and aufwuchs. Feed it a vegetable-leaning diet of algae and spirulina foods, with some prepared pellets.

How big does a Sarabia cichlid get?

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

How does a Sarabia cichlid breed?

Sarabia cichlids are biparental substrate spawners. Breeding them is of medium difficulty.

Related species