AquaSage
Species library

Salvini Cichlid

Trichromis salvini

Cichlidae

FishDifficulty: ●●●●Data: well-established

About

The Salvini cichlid is a strikingly coloured Central American cichlid from the Atlantic-slope rivers of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, where males flush golden-yellow with rows of black blotches and iridescent blue speckling. Beautiful but pugnacious, it is highly territorial and predatory, readily eating any tankmate small enough to swallow. It typically forms a bonded pair and needs a spacious, rocky, well-filtered aquarium to thrive.

Care

Keep as a single fish or a bonded pair in a 200 L or larger tank with sand, rockwork and strong filtration. Very aggressive when breeding; only house with equally robust cichlids in large aquaria.

Diet

Predatory omnivore; feed a cichlid pellet staple plus frozen krill, mysis and shrimp. It will hunt smaller fish, so choose tankmates it cannot swallow.

Tankmate compatibility

Possible with care (75)

Avoid (46)

Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.

Sources