Should I buy it?
Convict cichlid
Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Also known as: zebra cichlid (central america. Do not mix with african cichlid trade names)
Easy to breed is the headline. The problem is that a bonded pair will overrun your tank and bully every neighbour relentlessly.
Convict cichlid tank mates · 200L tank size hub
semi-aggressive · beginner care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: caution
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Single-species tanks of 100 L or more for a bonded pair; experienced keepers after an easy first cichlid.
Avoid if: You want a community tank, can't rehome fry, or have any peaceful smaller fish in the tank.
Common mistakeAdding peaceful community fish after a bonded convict pair forms is how keepers invent a war zone at the first spawn. Easy to keep is not easy to live with. Plan a species or robust Central American setup — or skip the pair if you wanted a mixed community.
Top things that go wrong
- Mouth gap vs tiny tank mates. May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
- Shrimp & snails. Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: convict cichlids stay peaceful community centrepieces because they are beginner-hardy and tough. Reality: bonded pairs become highly territorial at every spawn — constantly — and will wreck soft-bodied tank mates; run a dedicated setup, not a compromise mixed community.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.Breeding in community nano tanks, leading to hundreds of uncontrolled juveniles.
- 4.Housed with tiny neons as dither without a plan for gape and aggression during spawning.
- 5.A single 30 cm 'starter' convict in a 40 L is not the same as a mature breeding pair in 200 L or more. Rehome or separate fry. Never release to local waters.
About this species
Convicts are 10 to 15 cm Central American cichlids that spawn easily and overrun small tanks. They are territorial and will eat very small or slow tank mates. Plan space, structure, and population control (sex ratios, grow-out) before buying a pair.
- African Cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Discus200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Firemouth Cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Jack Dempsey200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Keyhole cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Rainbow cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Angelfish150L min · same fish family
- Electric Blue Acara150L min · same fish family
- Kribensisalso beginner semi-aggressive, similar tank size
No reverse lookups listed yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease54
- Peacefulness30
- Community fit19
- Small-tank fit90
- Hardiness76
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Convict cichlid belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Convict cichlid
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Electric Blue Acara, Swordtail. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Boesemani Rainbowfish, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, German Blue Ram, Guppy. Avoid (RISKY): Betta, Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Convict cichlid + Electric Blue Acara
Behaviour and temperament
Convict cichlids are semi-aggressive to aggressive when paired and spawning, which is often. They stay calmer as carefully managed pairs or colonies with broken sight lines. Stress and injury explode when peaceful community fish share the glass with a breeding pair.
What sets them off
- Crowding and limited territory
- Similar-looking fish in the same tank
- Spawning, for any breeding pair
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
Territory: Holds a patch (cave, corner, or surface). Break sight lines so neighbours can pass.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A bonded pair holds caves and digs substrate in hardish water.
- Short territorial displays around a spawn site are normal ownership for this species.
- Nonstop chasing of tetras after the first fry means stocking plan failed.
- Torn fins in a short community cube mean footprint and neighbours failed together.
- Spawning pairs will own the tank and attack soft-bodied fish without mercy.
- Males and females both defend — do not expect one fish to stay polite.
- Rehome community fish the same week the pair bonds if you still wanted mixed stock.
- Do not add 'dither' tetras to calm convicts — change the plan instead.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
medium-hard
Diet
omnivore
Convict cichlids are tough omnivores that take cichlid pellets, frozen foods, and occasional veg without fuss. Overfeeding a bonded pair fouls the tank faster than their reputation suggests. Offer what they finish, keep hardish water honest, and expect a breeding pair to rearrange décor while they feed — not a delicate nano diet problem.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Keep at least 2, bought at the same time.
- Hold 22 to 30 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6.5 to 8 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 200L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 2 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 22–30°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
- No tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth gap for this species.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 200L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 800L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 22–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Convict cichlid does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 22–30°C and pH 6.5–8:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Convict cichlid. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Common questions about Convict cichlid
- How big do Convict cichlid get?
- Males to 15 cm, females to 10 cm. The small adult size hides how aggressive they get during spawning.
- What size tank does Convict cichlid need?
- 100 L for a pair. 200 L or more if you want any other tank-mates to survive long-term.
- Are Convict cichlid aggressive?
- Convict cichlids are semi-aggressive to aggressive when paired and spawning, which is often. They stay calmer as carefully managed pairs or colonies with broken sight lines. Stress and injury explode when peaceful community fish share the glass with a breeding pair.
- What is the most common mistake with Convict cichlid?
- Adding peaceful community fish after a bonded convict pair forms is how keepers invent a war zone at the first spawn. Easy to keep is not easy to live with. Plan a species or robust Central American setup — or skip the pair if you wanted a mixed community.
- What fish can live with Convict cichlid?
- The Convict cichlid profile lists Electric Blue Acara, Swordtail among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Boesemani Rainbowfish, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, German Blue Ram are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid Betta, Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.