Topaz convict cichlid

Amatitlania myrnae

Also known as Cryptoheros myrnae, Myrna's cichlid, Topaz cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Topaz convict cichlid (Amatitlania myrnae) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–84°F (24–29°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Caribbean slope, Costa Rica and Panama
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The topaz convict is a softer-tempered relative of the common convict, a small cave-spawning cichlid best kept as a single bonded pair. It is only moderately aggressive, mostly around breeding time, so give a pair a tank of their own or careful tankmates that can keep clear of the nest. It stays low in the water, digging and defending a cave, and both parents share care of the fry. Feed a varied diet of pellets, flake, frozen foods and some vegetable matter. A tank of around 160 liters suits a pair, or more if you add robust tankmates.

In the wild

This cichlid lives in gentle, shaded rainforest streams on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica and Panama, over sand and leaf litter with wood and rock for cover. Recreate that with a soft floor, driftwood, leaf litter and some caves for spawning, under dim light. Keep the water warm and around neutral, roughly 24 to 29 C and pH 7.0 to 8.2.

Good to know

Amatitlania myrnae, once placed in the genus Cryptoheros, is a cichlid reaching about 10 centimeters. It is a biparental cave spawner: the pair cleans a cavity, the eggs hatch in a few days, and the parents move the fry to a pit in the sand until they swim free. Breeding fish deepen to a topaz-blue sheen with a rosy belly beneath broken bars.

Did you know

It is named for Myrna Lopez Sanchez, a Costa Rican ichthyologist and museum director who helped collect it, and not for anyone's wife, as is sometimes assumed of its name.