The Convict cichlid Amatitlania (formerly Cichlasoma) nigrofasciata is no longer a novelty: it has been kept and bred in aquaria since 1939. The first aquarium specimens of this fish, which is widely distributed in Central America, came from Lakes Atitlan and Amatitlan in Guatemala. The genus to which the greenfin cichlid currently belongs was named after the latter.
As early as the 1960s, a unicolored flesh-colored variant appeared in breeding and since then the “little pigs” have also found their fans. The marble variant is “new”. It emerged by chance in 1992 in large breedings of the single-colored animals in Florida and became quite popular locally. They first spilled over the pond to South East Asia, where the industrious professional breeders are always on the lookout for interesting novelties, from there to Europe and the animals we are currently offering were obtained from a Czech breeder.
Apart from the coloration, which is different for each individual, they are typical Convict cichlids that roam the aquarium like a pack of wild boars, investigating every corner for food and are always up for a fight. You can almost hear them squeaking…
For our customers: the animals have code 655922 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
