Window vieja

Care at a glance

Overview

The window vieja is a large, moody Central American cichlid, best kept singly or as a single mated pair since it is territorial and digs. It works the lower levels, rearranging sand and testing anything it can move. It can be aggressive, so pick tankmates carefully: only robust, similar-sized cichlids or catfish, and be ready to rehome fish if a pair turns on the tank. Its diet is mostly vegetable, so feed a spirulina-based pellet with occasional frozen foods, and go easy on protein to avoid bloat. This is a big fish that needs a tank of around 500 liters or more with strong filtration.

In the wild

This cichlid comes from the big lowland rivers and lakes of Mexico's Atlantic slope, in the Papaloapan and Coatzacoalcos basins. Give it a roomy tank with a sand floor it can dig, plus rocks and driftwood arranged to break up territory and create hiding places. Warm, neutral to hard water suits it: about 24 to 29 C and a pH of roughly 7.0 to 8.2. Strong, oversized filtration and regular water changes keep pace with a big, messy grazer.

Good to know

Vieja fenestrata is a cichlid that reaches about 30 centimeters and is largely herbivorous in the wild, grazing plants and algae. The species name means windowed, after the block-like dark blotches that open along its flanks like light through shutters. It is a substrate spawner: a pair cleans a hard surface, lays eggs in the open, and both parents guard the eggs and fry. Breeding is of moderate difficulty given the space two adults need.

Did you know

Its blotchy pattern shifts with mood and age, so the openwork markings that give it the window name can brighten, fade, and rearrange depending on how the fish feels from one hour to the next.

Common questions

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