1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Aggressive predator; keep alone or with robust fish.
94 species in our list are a good match.
Aggressive predator; keep alone or with robust fish.
Pellets, shrimp and fish pieces.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are larger, more colourful and have extended dorsal and anal fins; otherwise the sexes look alike and are hard to tell apart.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Open substrate spawner · Moderate
Monogamous, biparental substrate spawner; spawns on the bottom in fresh or brackish water, raises several broods a year and guards the fry for up to about 6 weeks.
Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.
A 400 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.
Up to about 600 eggs per spawning (FishBase); hatch time not found.
Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.
A hardy, robust cichlid from Mexico south to Nicaragua that lives in swamps, mangroves and coastal lagoons and can tolerate and even breed in full sea water. Males are larger and more colourful, but otherwise the sexes look alike. Introduced populations in Florida make it a recognised pest fish.
Albert Günther described the Mayan cichlid in 1862, and in 2016 it was given its own genus, Mayaheros. It is extremely adaptable and lives in fresh, brackish and even salty coastal water. Introduced populations have become established in southern Florida.
First described by Albert Günther in 1862. Named for 'urophthalmus' means tail-eye, for the eyespot on its tail.
15 facts checked with sources
Formerly Cichlasoma urophthalmus (the name Seriously Fish still uses); moved to Mayaheros by Říčan et al. 2016. Several Hubbs 1936 cenote forms (e.g. mayorum, zebra, cienagae, conchitae) are now synonyms. Keep 'Cichlasoma urophthalmus' as an other name.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Mayaheros (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summaryLegacy has no family field.
FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summarySeriously Fish gives 40 cm (labelled SL); FishBase gives 39.4 cm TL (total length) as the maximum recorded. Larger well-sourced figure used per the size rule. Legacy 30 cm is a fair typical aquarium size but no source checked states it; males are the larger sex.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid) · FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summary · Wikipedia: Mayaheros urophthalmusLegacy 22-30 lies within Seriously Fish's 20-30. Wikipedia notes wild range 18-34 °C with optimum 28-33 °C.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid) · FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summarySeriously Fish tops out at 8.0; legacy 8.5 is slightly high. Note it tolerates brackish and even marine water, where pH is higher.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid)Legacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish value recorded (quick facts show 0-20 dGH).
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid)210 x 60 x 60 cm = 756,000 cm³ = 756 L. Seriously Fish rates it 'Difficult' only because it needs a tank at least 2 m long. Legacy 400 L is well under the sourced minimum.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid)No source names a swimming level; FishBase only gives 'benthopelagic' (near the bottom and in midwater).
FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summarySeriously Fish calls it hardy and robust; the 'difficult' rating comes from tank size alone. Legacy 2 = moderate.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid)Legacy has no range field. Lives in swamps, marshes, mangroves and coastal lagoons; tolerates brackish to marine water. It is banned from import/possession in Thailand (Wikipedia) and regarded as a potential pest in the USA (Seriously Fish).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Mayaheros (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summarySeriously Fish has few breeding details. Wild fish in Mexico spawn March-November when water is at least 24 °C (Wikipedia).
Wikipedia: Mayaheros urophthalmus · FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summaryFishBase's life-cycle field says max 600 eggs, but its resilience estimate uses a fecundity of 2,085-6,615 (likely total ovarian count). Legacy 500-1000 is partly above the life-cycle figure. No hatch time found.
FishBase: Mayaheros urophthalmus summary'Mexican' undersells the range (Mexico to Nicaragua). 'Males and females look similar' is broadly right (minimal dimorphism) but males are larger and more colourful.
Seriously Fish: Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Mayan cichlid) · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Mayaheros (updated 21 Sep 2026) · Wikipedia: Mayaheros urophthalmus