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Territorial; breeds readily.
270 species in our list are a good match.
Territorial; breeds readily. Keep with robust fish.
Pellets, frozen foods and flakes.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males grow larger, with extended dorsal and anal fins and a small nuchal hump. Ripe females show metallic golden-yellow colour, mainly in the dorsal and anal fins.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (pair) · Easy
Cave or crevice spawner (sometimes on open substrate). The female tends the eggs, stuck to a sloping or vertical surface, while the male defends the territory; fry feed on the parents' skin mucus.
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.
About 50-300 eggs depending on the female's size; they hatch in about 3-4 days and the fry swim freely 4-5 days later.
Both parents guard the brood; feed fry newly hatched brine shrimp and finely crushed flake.
A close relative of the convict cichlid (same genus, Amatitlania) from the Pacific slope of Costa Rica. A strong third body bar joined to a dark stripe from the gill cover forms a sideways T, giving its name.
William Bussing, who spent decades studying Central American fishes, described this cichlid in 1974 in another genus. It is named for the dark T-shaped mark on its side. It is a hardy, small cichlid closely related to the convict cichlid.
First described by William A. Bussing in 1974.
15 facts checked with sources
Valid name. It was long sold as Cryptoheros sajica (and earlier Archocentrus / Cichlasoma sajica); Říčan et al. 2016 moved it to Amatitlania. Maidenhead Aquatics warns that sajica x convict hybrids are commonly sold.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026) · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026)Aquarium males reach about 12-12.5 cm (TL); FishBase gives 9 cm SL for wild specimens and 8 cm TL for females. Legacy 12 cm agrees for males; females stay smaller.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar Cichlid · Wikipedia: Amatitlania sajica · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryNo Seriously Fish profile. Aquarium reference 24-28 °C; FishBase habitat 23-30 °C. Legacy 22-27 is slightly cool at the low end.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar Cichlid · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryLegacy 6.5-8 dips below the sourced minimum of 7.0.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar Cichlid · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryOnly a lower bound (FishBase dH 15) and a KH (carbonate) figure were found, not a general-hardness range.
FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summary60 cm long x 30 cm deep x 35 cm high = 63,000 cm³ = 63 L for one pair (54 L at 30 cm high). Legacy 100 L is more generous than this minimum, which is fine for keepers, but it is not what the source says.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar CichlidAdvice is to keep a pair, but no minimum group is stated.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar CichlidLegacy 's' = semi-aggressive. Wikipedia adds that males can kill a female that is not ready to spawn.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar CichlidNo source names a swimming level.
FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryLegacy has no range field. Maidenhead Aquatics says 'Costa Rica to Panama', but Catalog of Fishes and FishBase restrict it to Costa Rica's Pacific slope. IUCN: Vulnerable (B1ab(iii), assessed 21 September 2019, per FishBase).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026) · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryLegacy says females have an orange-pink belly; sources put the female colour in the fins (FishBase: no abdominal blackening in mature females). The orange belly belongs to the convict/siquia group.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar Cichlid · Wikipedia: Amatitlania sajicaMatches legacy 'cave spawner; breeds easily and guards eggs'.
FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summary · Wikipedia: Amatitlania sajicaLegacy 100-300 is within the sourced spread but misses smaller clutches of young females.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): T-Bar Cichlid · FishBase: Amatitlania sajica summaryLegacy says Costa Rica and Panama; authoritative sources give Costa Rica only.
Wikipedia: Amatitlania sajica · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genus Amatitlania (online version updated 21 Sep. 2026)