All fish / Cichlidae

Rainbow Cichlid

Herotilapia multispinosa

Also known as rainbow cichlid, herotilapia, multispinosa cichlid, rainbow chiclid, レインボーシクリッド, 彩虹丽鱼, 彩虹慈鲷

This is a small, deep-bodied Central American cichlid. It is yellow to orange-bronze with a dark horizontal band or vertical bars, and its colours change a lot with mood and breeding condition. People keep it because it is hardy, stays fairly small and shows full cichlid parental behaviour in a modest tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

22 to 30 °C

pH

6.5 to 8

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

A pair, or one fish in a community

Diet

Omnivore: quality pellets and flakes, algae and vegetable matter, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Atlantic and Pacific slopes of Central America, Honduras to Costa Rica

Breeding

Pairs spawn on flat stones or wood and lay several hundred eggs. Both parents guard the eggs and free-swimming fry. It breeds readily in captivity and is a good first cichlid for breeding.

Good to know

It is fairly calm for a cichlid but becomes territorial when spawning, so tankmates should be robust. It also digs and may uproot plants.