TankBud

Uaru cichlid

Uaru amphiacanthoides

Also known as Triangle Cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Uaru cichlid (Uaru amphiacanthoides)
Herbisius · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
81–86°F
27–30°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
65 gal
245 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Brazil, Guyana

Overview

The Uaru cichlid is a large, peaceful and shy cichlid that belongs in a group. It suits experienced keepers.

Did you know

Like discus, Uaru parents feed their young on their own bodies. For the first days after hatching, the fry graze on a nutritious mucus secreted over the skin of both parents. Only after that can they take other food.

Caring for the Uaru cichlid

Give Uaru cichlids at least 65 gal (245 L), with much more room for a full group of adults. Provide tall driftwood, tangled roots and leaf litter to hide among. Keep the lighting subdued and the surroundings shaded and quiet, since this is a shy fish.

It needs real warmth, so keep the water at 81 to 86°F (27 to 30°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Use soft water with a tea-colored tint from tannins. Keep it clean and well filtered, because this sensitive fish reacts badly to poor conditions.

The Uaru cichlid is largely herbivorous, so feed a vegetable-rich diet of quality pellets, blanched greens and some frozen foods. It grazes on soft plants, so choose tough species or floating cover.

Keep a shoal of five or more of its own kind rather than one fish or a lone pair. It settles better in a group. It is gentle for its size and mixes well with calm, larger fish such as severums, discus and peaceful catfish. Small fish may be eaten simply because of its size.

It is a substrate spawner that lays its eggs on wood or rock and guards them as a pair. Breeding is hard and needs soft, warm, clean water and a settled pair.

Good to know

Uaru amphiacanthoides is a member of the cichlid family, Cichlidae, with a tall, disc-shaped body. A large dark triangular patch on its flank gives it the alternative name triangle cichlid.

In the wild

The Uaru cichlid comes from the Amazon and Rio Negro drainages of Brazil and Guyana. It lives among submerged wood and roots in warm, soft, acidic blackwater.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Uaru cichlid is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does an Uaru cichlid need?

An Uaru cichlid needs at least 65 gal (245 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Uaru cichlid need?

An Uaru cichlid is comfortable at 81–86°F (27–30°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does an Uaru cichlid eat?

Uaru cichlids are largely herbivorous. Feed them a vegetable-rich diet of quality pellets, blanched greens and some frozen foods, and expect them to graze on soft plants.

How big does an Uaru cichlid get?

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

How does an Uaru cichlid breed?

Uaru cichlids are substrate spawners that lay their eggs on wood or rock and guard them as a pair. Breeding is hard and needs soft, warm, clean water and a settled pair.

Related species