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Semi-aggressive; keep with robust fish.
288 species in our list are a good match.
Semi-aggressive; keep with robust fish.
Pellets, vegetables and frozen foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Hard to sex; males are likely to have more pointed dorsal and anal fins. There is no clear colour difference between the sexes.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Open substrate spawner · Easy
Pair-forming substrate spawner: lays lines of eggs on a cleaned smooth rock or slate (often a vertical surface or cave); both parents fan the eggs, move the wrigglers to pits and guard the fry for four weeks or more.
Grow out 6 juveniles and let a pair form; separate the pair if others are harassed.
A 150 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 500-1500 eggs per spawning; they hatch in about 2 days and the fry swim freely up to a week later.
Parents move the wrigglers to pits and guard the free-swimming fry; feed newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake.
A small Central American cichlid from Honduras to Costa Rica that can switch its colours, from yellow to dark brown with a black stripe or bars, within seconds as its mood changes. It has unique three-pointed teeth for grazing algae and is unusually peaceful for a Central American cichlid.
Albert Günther described this small cichlid in 1867. It is the only species in Herotilapia, a genus named for its tilapia-like three-pointed teeth. Its peaceful nature and changing colours made it a popular choice for community-style cichlid tanks.
First described by Albert Günther in 1867. Named for 'multispinosa' means many-spined, for its many dorsal spines.
15 facts checked with sources
Was placed in Archocentrus (as Archocentrus multispinosus) by some authors 2000-2013; keep that as an other name. Herotilapia is monotypic.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Herotilapia (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryLegacy has no family field.
FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summarySeriously Fish's quick-facts figure of 175 mm SL contradicts its own summary ('typically reaches around 10 cm' in the aquarium) and looks like a conversion of FishBase's 17 cm TL maximum, so it was not used. Live adults are typically 10-12 cm (up to 15); FishBase's record is 17 cm TL (total length).
Wikipedia: Rainbow cichlid · Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryVery heat tolerant in the wild (FishBase 21-36 °C).
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryBoth sources top out at 8.0; legacy 8.5 is slightly high.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryLegacy has no hardness. Seriously Fish 'up to 20'; FishBase 9-20.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summary90 x 38 x 30 cm = 102,600 cm³ ≈ 103 L. Legacy 150 L is more generous; fine as a recommendation, but the sourced minimum is ~103 L.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosaSeriously Fish rates it peaceful; it is still territorial when breeding (FishBase, Wikipedia), so 'peaceful for a cichlid'.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryNo source names a swimming level; FishBase only gives 'benthopelagic'.
FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summarySeriously Fish rates it 'Moderate' mainly for tank size; its notes call it 'an ideal CA cichlid for those who do not wish to manage the challenge of the more aggressive CA species'. Legacy 1 = easy.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosaLegacy has no range field. Lives in turbid lakes, swamps and marshes with muddy bottoms.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Herotilapia (updated 21 Sep 2026)The legacy claim that males are more colourful is not supported.
Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · Wikipedia: Rainbow cichlidWikipedia says a vertical surface, ideally in a cave, is preferred, so it is not strictly an 'open' spawner.
Wikipedia: Rainbow cichlid · Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosaLegacy 300-500 is low; FishBase's resilience model uses fecundity 600-1,000.
Wikipedia: Rainbow cichlid · Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa · FishBase: Herotilapia multispinosa summaryColour change is a mood response in both sexes, not something only males do when breeding.
Wikipedia: Rainbow cichlid · Seriously Fish: Herotilapia multispinosa