1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Aggressive predator; eats any fish it can swallow.
31 species in our list are a good match.
Aggressive predator; eats any fish it can swallow.
Fish pieces, shrimp and large foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are a little larger and redder; females are usually rounder.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Open substrate spawner ·
Open substrate spawner.
Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.
A 1000 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, flat slate or rocks as spawning surfaces and a tight lid.
Warm, clean water, frequent water changes and protein-rich food.
1000-2000 eggs
Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.
A giant, predatory cichlid from Mexico, Belize and Guatemala with a long head and a jaw that shoots out more than a quarter of its body length to catch fish. It is the only species in its genus, named after Lake Petén in Guatemala, and needs a very large tank.
Albert Günther described the bay snook in 1862, naming its genus after the Petén region of Guatemala. It is an important food fish, known locally as tenhuayaca. Aquarists keep both the natural form and a red-gold variety for its size and dramatic hunting style.
First described by Albert Günther in 1862. Named for Genus named after the Petén region of Guatemala; 'splendida' means splendid.
11 facts checked with sources
Petenia is monotypic (only this species), per Practical Fishkeeping.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Petenia (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Petenia splendida summaryLegacy has no family field. FishBase still shows the older subfamily name Cichlasomatinae; Catalog of Fishes uses Cichlinae.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Petenia (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Petenia splendida summaryFishBase 50 cm SL (standard length) is the maximum; Practical Fishkeeping says aquarium fish reach at least 30 cm. No Seriously Fish profile exists.
FishBase: Petenia splendida summary · Wikipedia: Petenia splendida · Practical Fishkeeping: Petenia splendida, the Bay snook cichlid (Matt Clarke)Only FishBase gives a temperature; no Seriously Fish profile. Legacy 24-28 is a little cool at the low end.
FishBase: Petenia splendida summaryBoth sources give 7.0-7.5 as ideal; PFK adds that it adapts to most conditions.
FishBase: Petenia splendida summary · Practical Fishkeeping: Petenia splendida, the Bay snook cichlid (Matt Clarke)Legacy has no hardness. Sources give only a lower bound (more than 15 dGH, i.e. hard water); max left null.
FishBase: Petenia splendida summary · Practical Fishkeeping: Petenia splendida, the Bay snook cichlid (Matt Clarke)180 x 45 x 45 cm = 364,500 cm³ ≈ 365 L. This is the only sourced minimum; for a fish up to 45-50 cm the legacy 1000 L is a more generous recommendation and arguably better, but it is not sourced.
Practical Fishkeeping: Petenia splendida, the Bay snook cichlid (Matt Clarke)FishBase classes it as demersal, which conflicts with the legacy 'middle'; no source names an aquarium swimming level.
FishBase: Petenia splendida summaryLegacy has no range field. Lives in lakes and the slow lower and middle reaches of rivers over sand and mud (FishBase).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Petenia (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Petenia splendida summaryWikipedia cites this to an unnamed reference [3]; treat as secondary.
Wikipedia: Petenia splendida'Pike-like' is a fair description of the elongated head and predatory habits, though no source uses the word. Wild and red/gold colour forms exist in the trade.
Practical Fishkeeping: Petenia splendida, the Bay snook cichlid (Matt Clarke) · Wikipedia: Petenia splendida · FishBase: Petenia splendida summary