From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Salvini Cichlid
Trichromis salvini
- Temperature
- 22–26 °C
- pH
- 6.5 – 8
- Min. tank size
- 280 L
- Lifespan
- 10-13 years
- Diet
- carnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Trichromis salvini |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Origin: | Central America (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | carnivore |
| Max Size: | 15.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | aggressive |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | No cultivated strains of consequence — the wild fish is vividly coloured enough that selection has had little to offer. Some suppliers advertise selected lines for stronger gold or red, and colour varies enormously with condition, so a settled well-fed adult looks very different from a shop fish. Regional variation exists across its Central American range, from southern Mexico through Guatemala and Belize, and locality forms occasionally reach specialist keepers. Taxonomy has moved repeatedly. The species has been placed in Cichlasoma, Nandopsis and Trichromis, so older books and shop labels use several genus names for the same fish — Cichlasoma salvini remains the most commonly seen. It is also traded as the yellow belly cichlid and the tricolour cichlid. Related Central Americans sold alongside it include the Jack Dempsey, the firemouth and various Thorichthys and Amatitlania species, several of which are considerably milder — the firemouth in particular is the one to consider if the salvini's temperament is more than you want. |
| Lifespan: | 10-13 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Medium to high
- Min Tank:280 L
- Substrate:Sand or fine gravel; rocks and caves; robust or no plants
- Plant Safe:Not plant-safe (digs and uproots)
- Filtration:High
Salvini Cichlid (Trichromis salvini) is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is native to Central America (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize). The salvini is a yellow and black Central American cichlid that turns brilliant gold and red when breeding, and specialists describe it in three words: aggressive for its size. It reaches 152 mm standard length, which is modest for a Central American, and it will predate on any fish it can fit in its mouth. There is a second-order problem worth knowing. A solitary individual becomes extremely shy — so the obvious response to an aggressive fish, keeping it alone, produces a fish you never see. Multiple salvinis need abundant hiding places. Sexing is unusually clear for a cichlid, and it works the way the kribensis does: the female carries her own markings rather than simply lacking the male's. Both parents guard eggs and fry, and the fry should not be separated until a month after hatching.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- aggressive
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Salvini Cichlid
Matched on family, then category, then water type