Pearl Cichlid

Looks how to spot one

Deep-bodied eartheater cichlid

A sturdy, high-backed cichlid covered in shining pale blue speckles that give it a pearly look. Adult males end up clearly bigger than females and often grow a rounded forehead bump. Body shape varies by home water, slimmer in fast rivers and deeper in still water.23

Personality what they are like

Calm for much of the time, but males claim and defend a patch of the tank, especially when a pair is ready to spawn. Best with robust tankmates too big to be eaten.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

A busy bottom forager that sifts through the substrate, and a pair becomes very watchful when guarding a nest site.23

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs a mature, well-filtered aquarium with large regular water changes; good mechanical filtration helps catch the fine sand it stirs up.2

Home where they are happiest

Large aquarium of at least about 150 x 45 cm (around 300 litres), soft sand, driftwood, roots and flat stones, with dim lighting. Water about 18 to 28 C, pH roughly 6.0 to 8.0 and soft to fairly hard water.21

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore: a quality sinking pellet or granule as the staple, plus frozen or live bloodworm and brine shrimp and some plant matter.21

Company who they like around

Kept as a single male-female pair or in a large tank with other sturdy fish; pairs form naturally when young fish grow up together.23

The story where it all began

The pearl cichlid was among the earliest cichlids described from South America, named by the French naturalists Quoy and Gaimard in 1824. It has long been a favourite with aquarists, and fish once sold in Europe under another name are usually this species.123

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Least Concern (assessed 18 November 2020)1

Taxonomy

Described by Quoy and Gaimard in 1824; possibly a complex of several closely related forms2