At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Large, deep-bodied cichlid
A big, deep-bodied cichlid; mature males develop a clear hump on the forehead.1
Personality what they are like
A calm, easygoing giant that can share a big tank with other large, non-aggressive fish.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A relaxed swimmer of slow, silty rivers that likes cover and space to move.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep the water warm and clean with good filtration and regular partial changes in a roomy tank.2
Home where they are happiest
Warm, soft to medium water of about 25 to 30 C and pH 5.0 to 7.0 (FishBase to 7.5); a tank base of at least 120 x 45 cm (about 240 litres) for one adult or a pair.213
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivore; in the wild it eats invertebrates, algae and plant matter, and in aquaria it takes live, frozen and dried foods.2
Company who they like around
Good with large cyprinids, characins, catfish and plecos, and with other South American cichlids in a very large tank.2
The story where it all began
Albert Günther described the species in 1862. It comes from slow, sediment-rich rivers of the Amazon basin and is traded commercially as an aquarium fish.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 19 November 2020)1
- Taxonomy
- Described by Günther in 1862; family Cichlidae1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Chocolate Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Water changeAbout 30 to 50% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Filter rinseevery 2 weeks
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Hypselecara temporalis fishbase.seused for distribution, size, water parameters, IUCN, biology
- Seriously Fish: Hypselecara temporalis seriouslyfish.comused for habitat, size, tank size, water, diet, behaviour
- Wikipedia: Hypselecara temporalis en.wikipedia.orgused for size, distribution, temperature
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.