Furry Diary

Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Festivum Cichlid

Mesonauta festivus (Heckel, 1840)

Also called Flag cichlid, Festivum, Festive cichlid

SpeciesShort profile

From South America: the Paraguay-Parana basin (Brazil and Paraguay) and southern Amazon tributaries such as the Guapore, Mamore, Madre de Dios, Jamari and Tapajos (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru).12

At a glance the quick version

Length10 to 12.1 cm123
Sizemedium
Peaceful community cichlid
Comfortable among plants
Both parents care for the brood
2

Looks how to spot one

Medium, laterally flattened cichlid

A slim, side-flattened cichlid with a pointed head. Males grow larger and carry longer dorsal and anal fin tips.2

Personality what they are like

A gentle cichlid that only gets a little pushier while breeding; well suited to calm community tanks.2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Spends much of its time in and around plants in slow water and is not a fast or restless swimmer.21

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Keep the tank well planted and quiet; breeding pairs are easily startled, so a calm setting helps.2

Home where they are happiest

Warm water of about 24 to 28 C (FishBase lists up to 34 C), pH 6.0 to 8.0 and soft (about 0-6 dGH); a tank base of at least 120 x 38 cm (around 140 litres).21

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore; good prepared foods plus live or frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, and some vegetable matter.2

Company who they like around

Lives well alongside peaceful cichlids such as eartheaters and Apistogramma, and with tetras, barbs and small catfish.2

The story where it all began

Heckel described the flag cichlid in 1840. For about 150 years it was treated as the only member of its genus, until a 1991 revision recognised several Mesonauta species.13

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    Until 1991 it was thought to be the only Mesonauta species; five are now recognised plus one described in 1998.3

  2. 2

    Many fish sold as festivum are actually related species such as Mesonauta insignis.3

  3. 3

    A pair can lay more than 200 eggs on a flat stone and the fry hatch after 2 to 3 days.2

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List
Least Concern (assessed 20 November 2020)1
Taxonomy
Described by Heckel in 1840; treated as the only Mesonauta until a 1991 review split the genus into several species3

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Festivum Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

Tell me when it launches

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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.

  1. FishBase: Mesonauta festivus fishbase.seused for distribution, size, water parameters, IUCN, habitat
  2. Seriously Fish: Mesonauta festivus seriouslyfish.comused for habitat, size, tank size, water, diet, behaviour, breeding, confusion with M. insignis
  3. Wikipedia: Mesonauta festivus en.wikipedia.orgused for common names, size, taxonomic history

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.