Salvin's cichlid is a common name for
Cichlasoma salvini a colorful Central American cichlid which ranges from Mexico to Honduras. C. salvini is a aquarium classic in company with other cichlids like
convicts, dempseys and
Oscars but doesn’t carry the price tag of
expensive African cichlids.
This fish is certainly very attractive and goes by many common names such as the tricolor cichlid or the yellowbelly cichlid. As stated this cichlid is very colorful naturally and really becomes brilliant when spawning or in the presence of fry.
While this cichlid may be uncommon now in the hobby you can find they listed on this page for sale. Interestingly the taxon of this species is not listed or has been accessed for the
IUCN Red List of endangered fish but it does have a significant presence in the state of Florida.
According to the
United States Geological Survey C. salvini may have been introduced into canals and ditches due to probable aquarium release. As such this non-native invasive species occurs in canals and ditches in much of southern Broward County, and has spread westward into the Everglades system.
This is a midsized cichlid which can reach some six inches in length. It has a somewhat oblong shape with a pointed mouth. According to an article published in 2005 titled
Cichlid jaw mechanics: linking morphology to feeding specialization, the jaw
Cichlasoma salvani fish is correlated with what’s called maximum protrusion, which means it appears to be a gape and suck predator. This article suggests the jaw protrusion may aid in the capture of evasive prey.
This is a great cichlid to work with and is not too difficult to spawn. The draw with this fish is its color, pattern and price tag. The body is yellow with two lines of black and a pattern of flowers along the side and upper half of the back of the fish. See the videos below for breeding coloration and over all how beautiful they are.
Cichlasoma salvini videos
List of common names and synonyms
Salvins cichlid
yellowbelly cichlid
tricolor cichlid
mustardbelly cichlid
guapote tricolor
Herichthys salvini
Heros salvini
Nandopsis salvini
Resources and related South American cichlid links
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