Hypsophrys nicaraguensis
| Common Names: | Butterfly Cichlid Macaw Cichlid Moga Nicaragua Cichlid Parrot Cichlid Spilotum |
| Synonyms: | Cichlasoma balteatum Cichlasoma nicaraguense Cichlasoma nicaraguensis Cichlasoma spilotum Copora nicaraguense Herichthys nicaraguensis Heros balteatus Heros nicaraguensis Hypsophrys unimaculatus |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Category: | Cichlids |
| Distribution: | America - Central; Nicaragua, Costa Rica |
| Main Ecosystem: | Lake; Slow moving or still large bodies of water and lakes. |
| Temperament: | Peaceful; Generally peaceful but can be territorial, especially when spawning. |
| Diet: | Ominvore; Will accept a variety of foods including flakes and pellets. Diet should be supplemented with live, fresh or frozen foods. |
| Care: | Nicaragua Cichlids like to be kept in groups, so they need a large tank with a lot of hiding places made out of wood or rock. They prefer very fine gravel or sand substrate for digging, and can be housed with hardy plants. Nicaragua cichlids are fairly easy to care for, but with their large size and occasional territorial nature they may not make such a great choice for the beginner. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 25cm (9.8") Female: 25cm (9.8") |
| Water Region: | Middle, Bottom; Middle-Bottom |
| Activity: | Diurnal; Diurnal |
| Gender: | Adult males are larger than females and develop a small hump. Females are much more brightly coloured than the males, which makes sexing adults obvious most of the time. |
| Breeding: | Breeding can be difficult, as it is sometimes hard to find a compatible pair. Eggs are laid in a large pit in the substrate, usually dug under a rock or in a cave. Eggs hatch in 3 days and are closely guarded and reared by both parents. |
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| Comments: | A great alternative to more aggressive large new world cichlids, popular because of their stunning colours and nice disposition. They make a wonderful species tank in a large group. This is the only SA/CA cichlid that does not have adhesive eggs. As stated in the breeding section, this fish lays their eggs in a pit or deep crevice of a rock. If danger should arrise, they will take the eggs into their mouths, and move them to a much easier defended location. When fanning water across the e |
| Main Colours: | Gold, Blue, Green |
| Markings: | Striped Horizontal |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Not Specified |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | trystianity |
| Contributors: | Jason_R_S, zachf92 |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
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