1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful and shy; combine with small tetras.
115 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful and shy; combine with small tetras.
Small live and frozen foods and quality micro pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Sequential hermaphrodite: all young are females, and one dominant female turns into a male (at about 8 months to a year, or when no male is present). Males grow larger; sexually active females are easy to spot by their bright orange pelvic fins.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (pair) · Hard
Open (substrate) brooder in harems: the male spawns with several females and defends the territory, while each female attaches about 200 eggs to a plant or stone and tends eggs and young herself.
Raise 6 juveniles together and let a pair form, then remove the rest or provide a very large tank.
A 60 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.
About 200 eggs per clutch.
Both parents guard the brood; feed fry newly hatched brine shrimp and finely crushed flake.
A peaceful, sand-sifting cichlid from the Amazon and Essequibo basins that is not a true dwarf (males reach about 12 cm). It is one of the few aquarium fish that changes sex: all young are female and the strongest becomes the male.
Günther described this species in 1863. Studies have shown that it can change sex, with females becoming males. It is a delicate dwarf cichlid for soft water.
First described by Albert Günther in 1863.
15 facts checked with sources
Spelling only: Catalog of Fishes and FishBase use the feminine ending punctulata; punctulatum is widely seen in the hobby. Common name 'checkerboard cichlid' (FishBase). Watch for trade confusion: the small, more demanding Dicrossus species (D. filamentosus, D. maculatus) are also sold as 'checkerboard cichlids'; legacy text compares it with Dicrossus and lists a 'Checkered dwarf cichlid' variant, which may reflect that mix-up. Seriously Fish has no live profile (URL returned 404).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Acara punctulata (Crenicara punctulata) · FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryLegacy has no family field.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Acara punctulata (Crenicara punctulata)TL (total length). FishBase 12 cm TL; Aquarium Glaser (importer, live fish) also about 12 cm for males and lists trade sizes up to 8-12 cm. Legacy 8 cm is too small; females stay smaller.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summary · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1No Seriously Fish profile. Legacy 24-28 is about 1 °C high at both ends.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryOnly FishBase gives a pH range; legacy upper limit 7 is above it.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryFishBase gives 0.1-10 dH (rounded to 0-10). Legacy has no hardness.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryHarem breeder (one male, several females) per Aquarium Glaser, but no source states a minimum group. A group of juveniles is needed for one to change into a male.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1Forages over sand all day (Glaser), so bottom ('b') fits better than legacy midwater ('m'). FishBase's 'benthopelagic' is a general habitat term.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1 · FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryLegacy 3 (hard). One importer source calls it pretty easy given soft acidic water (FishBase pH 5-6) and fine sand; treat as moderate if keeping wild fish.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1Legacy has no range field. IUCN: Least Concern (FishBase, assessed 10 Nov 2020).
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryLegacy describes fixed male/female colours; the key fact is protogynous sex change. The size difference follows from Glaser's 12 cm figure being for males.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summary · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1Legacy calls it a cave spawner in pairs with both parents guarding; sources say open brooder, harem, female-only brood care.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1 · FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryLegacy 30-60 is far below FishBase. No hatch time found.
FishBase: Crenicara punctulata summaryLegacy 'dwarf cichlid' is wrong on size; the 'not as demanding as Dicrossus' comparison is unsourced and was not checked.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Crenicara punctulata, part 1