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Semi-aggressive; keep with similar-sized robust fish.
255 species in our list are a good match.
Semi-aggressive; keep with similar-sized robust fish.
Pellets, flakes and frozen foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males grow bigger than females; females look plumper with a visible ovipositor when ready to spawn.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Open substrate spawner · Easy
Open substrate spawner; eggs are laid on a flat surface (stone, log, rigid leaf or aquarium glass) and both parents guard eggs and young.
Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.
A 200 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.
About 700 eggs per spawning (up to about 1,000 reported); hatch in about 24-48 hours.
Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.
A tough acara from the Orinoco, the Guianas and the upper Rio Branco, described by Linnaeus in 1758. Escaped aquarium fish have lived wild in southern Florida since 1965.
Linnaeus described this fish in 1758 as Labrus bimaculatus, making it one of the first cichlids ever named. It is the type species of the genus Cichlasoma. It is hardy and has become established in parts of Florida.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
17 facts checked with sources
Valid name, described by Linnaeus in 1758. Possible mix-ups: Wikipedia notes the chanchita looks almost identical, and old Florida records named these fish Aequidens portalegrensis, so shop "black acara" may be the port acara or a relative; check identity. (Kushlan 1972, listed by USGS NAS.)
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA)Legacy has no family field.
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summarySources disagree: FishBase checklist max 12.3 cm SL (about 15-16 cm TL), Wikipedia about 20 cm (8 in), and FishBase also lists 30-35 cm TL from older references, which looks doubtful. Legacy 20 cm is kept as a realistic large adult; low confidence.
Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA) · FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation)No Seriously Fish profile. FishBase 16-24 (from an old aquarium atlas) is unusually cool for an equatorial fish and may reflect a confused identity (cool-tolerant relatives such as the chanchita). Fishipedia 23-30 used; legacy 22-28 overlaps both. Wikipedia notes a lethal low of 8.9 °C.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation) · FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summaryLegacy 6-8; both sources stop at 7.0.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation) · FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summaryLegacy had no value.
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation)Legacy 200 L is within rounding of Fishipedia 210 L. Only hobby source found.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation)Fishipedia suggests at least 2 (pair) and 5 to form a pair, but it is the only, lower-quality source; left unknown.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation)Only Fishipedia (draft sheet) gives 8 years; too weak to verify legacy 8-10 years.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation)Hardy and tolerant; legacy 1 (easy) fits. Hobby source only.
Fishipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (sheet marked as in preparation) · FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summaryLegacy story says "Caribbean coast"; not supported.
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA)Legacy "longer fins" not found.
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA)Legacy 300-500 is lower than sources. Hatch time from Wikipedia citing a hobby page; lower confidence.
FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary · Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA)Legacy "Caribbean coast" removed. Colour darkening when breeding not checked in a source. Wikipedia used as last resort (cites Crutchfield 2016, NANFA).
Wikipedia: Cichlasoma bimaculatum (cites Catalog of Fishes; USGS NAS; Crutchfield 2016 NANFA) · FishBase: Cichlasoma bimaculatum summary