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Salvini Cichlid

Trichromis salvini

Freshwater Central America Usually captive bred

A brilliantly coloured Central American cichlid sporting vivid yellow, red, and turquoise patterning. Despite its modest size, it possesses exceptional aggression and can dominate much larger tankmates. Provide caves, driftwood boundaries, and combine only with robust, equally feisty cichlids in a sufficiently large enclosure.

Also called: Salvini, Salvin's Cichlid, Tricolor cichlid, Yellow belly cichlid, Yellowbelly cichlid.

18 cm adult length, drawn to scale. torpedo body.

Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.

What it needs

ItemValueBecause
Adult length 18 cm Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round.
Smallest tank 250 L, at least 120 cm long estimated The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group.
Extra water per added fish 80 L estimated What each further fish adds once the minimum is met.
Waste load Class 3 of 5 estimated How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check.
Temperature 22 to 28 C Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges.
pH 7 to 8 Compared with tankmates in the Water check.
Hardness GH 8 to 20, KH 4 to 12 Degrees of general and carbonate hardness.
Flow Medium Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current.
Light Moderate Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet.
Group size Single fish is fine Not a schooling species.
Temperament Aggressive Territorial: strong.
Swims in Middle water Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily.
Lifespan About 10 years A fish is a long commitment.
Experience Some experience helps A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes.

Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.

Diet and tank layout

Salvini Cichlid is an carnivore that swims in the middle of the tank. It leaves most plants alone. Give it plenty of cover. It digs, so anchor plants and keep hard rock off loose sand. It will eat fish small enough to swallow.

Tankmates

Works with

No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.

Depends

Avoid

Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.