TankBud

Teapa cichlid

Paraneetroplus gibbiceps

Also known as Gibbiceps cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Teapa cichlid (Paraneetroplus gibbiceps)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–84°F
24–29°C
pH
7.0–8.2
Adult size
11 in
28 cm
Minimum tank
119 gal
450 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Grijalva headwaters, Mexico

Overview

The Teapa cichlid is a large, current-loving cichlid built for a river-style tank rather than a still community. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

The Teapa cichlid's name means hump-headed, and with age its forehead swells into a pronounced bulge. The raised brow is a hallmark of a fish shaped by a life spent in fast, rocky water.

Caring for the Teapa cichlid

Keep one Teapa cichlid or a single pair in at least 119 gal (450 L), and gear the tank for movement. It needs strong filtration or a flow pump, high oxygen, rounded stones, boulders and a firm floor. It spends its time low in the water.

Keep the water warm and neutral to hard, at 75 to 84°F (24 to 29°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.2. Feed a mixed diet with a good share of vegetable matter, since the genus grazes and picks at surfaces in the wild.

The Teapa cichlid is aggressive and territorial, and it does not welcome intruders on its patch. Choose robust tank mates with care.

Older fish, especially males, build a raised nuchal hump on the forehead. It is a biparental substrate spawner that lays its eggs on cleaned stone in flowing water. Breeding it is of medium difficulty.

Good to know

The Teapa cichlid, Paraneetroplus gibbiceps, is a rheophilic, or current-adapted, cichlid. Franz Steindachner described it in 1864.

In the wild

The Teapa cichlid holds fast, rocky stretches and rapids in the Grijalva headwaters and nearby rivers of southern Mexico. The bottom there is pebbles, wood and current-swept leaves.

Common questions

What size tank does a Teapa cichlid need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Teapa cichlid need?

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

What does a Teapa cichlid eat?

A Teapa cichlid eats a mixed diet with a good share of vegetable matter. In the wild, its genus grazes and picks at surfaces.

How big does a Teapa cichlid get?

An adult Teapa cichlid reaches about 11 in (28 cm).

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

Older Teapa cichlids build a raised nuchal hump on the forehead, and males build it most.

How does a Teapa cichlid breed?

The Teapa cichlid is a biparental substrate spawner that lays its eggs on cleaned stone in flowing water. Breeding it is of medium difficulty.

Related species