Salvin's Cichlid Breeding Guide

How to breed Cichlasoma salvini, a colourful Central American cichlid that spawns on cleaned surfaces with strong biparental care.

Overview

Cichlasoma salvini (Trichromis salvini), Salvin's cichlid, is a colourful Central American species of the Atlantic slope from southern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize (FishBase, Wikipedia). It reaches about 15-22 cm and is a biparental substrate spawner: pairs clean spawning sites, spawn on them and guard the eggs and fry together.

Sexing

Females are smaller than males and show a distinctive patch in the centre of the dorsal fin and a dark spot on the gill cover; their red belly colour intensifies when ready to spawn (Wikipedia, Seriously Fish). Males have longer, more pointed dorsal and anal fins with greater black-and-white contrast.

Breeding Setup

A tank with flat stones, wood or rocky crevices for spawning sites suits the species. Seriously Fish gives breeding water of about 22-26 °C, pH 6.5-8.0 and hardness 8-15 °dH; FishBase lists a wider species temperature range of 22-32 °C, pH 7.0-8.0 and hardness 5-20 dH.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Parents first clean the surfaces of several chosen spawning sites, then the female lays eggs spread across them (Seriously Fish). The female takes a more active role in initiating breeding and caring for fry than the male (Wikipedia). A compatible pair is best obtained by growing on six juveniles.

Egg & Fry Care

A female lays up to about 500 eggs (Seriously Fish); FishBase records about 500-600 eggs per spawning. Both parents guard eggs and fry with good parental care and provide the fry an early nutritional source, with offspring staying with parents for roughly one month.

Common Challenges

Pairs may take time to form, and the species is territorial and aggressive, so a roomy or dedicated tank reduces conflict. Incompatible pairings should be separated to avoid injury.