1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Territorial and aggressive towards other fish when breeding.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Territorial and aggressive towards other fish when breeding.
Pellets, frozen foods and flakes.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males show bold black bars; females have an extra bright orange spot on the belly.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (pair) · Easy
Cave spawner.
Raise 6 juveniles together and let a pair form, then remove the rest or provide a very large tank.
A 100 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, flat stones, clay caves or flowerpots, and a sand bed.
Strong conditioning on frozen and live food plus a large water change with slightly warmer water.
100-300 eggs
Both parents guard the brood; feed fry newly hatched brine shrimp and finely crushed flake.
A convict-cichlid relative (same genus) described in 2007 from the Río Siquia in Atlantic Nicaragua; it ranges through Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Honduras. Some experts consider it the same species as the convict cichlid.
For decades this fish was simply lumped in with the familiar convict cichlid. In 2007 Mexican ichthyologist Juan Jacobo Schmitter-Soto revised the convict group and recognised the southern populations as a separate species, Amatitlania siquia. Many 'convicts' in the hobby may in fact descend from this lineage.
First described by Juan J. Schmitter-Soto in 2007. Named for Named after the Río Siquia in Nicaragua.
8 facts checked with sources
Valid in Catalog of Fishes, but disputed: Artigas Azas (2021) treats it as a synonym of the convict cichlid, A. nigrofasciata, and the Cichlid Room Companion lists it that way. Many fish sold as 'siquia' are simply wild-type convicts from Nicaragua/Costa Rica. The legacy alias 'blue-eyed convict' was not found in any source and risks confusion with Cutter's blue-eye cichlid (Cryptoheros cutteri).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026) · FishBase: Amatitlania siquia summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026)FishBase 7.9 cm SL (from the 2007 description; total length would be roughly 10 cm). No live-aquarium figure from a reliable source. Legacy 12 cm is not supported.
FishBase: Amatitlania siquia summaryNo source names a swimming level.
FishBase: Amatitlania siquia summaryLegacy has no range field. IUCN: Data Deficient (assessed 7 November 2019, per FishBase).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026) · FishBase: Amatitlania siquia summaryFemale orange belly (legacy) confirmed. 'Males larger with longer fins' is likely but was not found in a reliable source. Some males mimic females' appearance as an alternative mating tactic.
Wikipedia: Amatitlania siquia (cites peer-reviewed behaviour studies)Sources confirm it forms monogamous pairs, but none describes the spawning site, so the legacy 'cave spawner' is unconfirmed.
Wikipedia: Amatitlania siquia (cites peer-reviewed behaviour studies)The legacy 'blue-eyed look' is not described in any source checked. The name comes from the Río Siquia ('avocado' in the Ulwa language).
FishBase: Amatitlania siquia summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026)