Cichlid Profiles - Sinaloan Cichlid or Green Guapote
 

Cichlasoma beani is a very large unattractive "cult cichlid," which is in high demand because it it one of the largest and most vicious cichlids. It's on many "Top Ten" vicious cichlid lists. It has a light brown or green brown ground color and is speckled all over with small dark brown flecks that extend onto the unpaired fins. It has an elongate snout. It reaches 16 inches in length and is very thick. It has a series of splotches or vertically elongated bars on the posterior half of the body and caudal peduncle and few markings from the gill covers forward. It lives in river drainages of the Pacific coast of Mexico in hard, alkaline (pH 7.4-8) water, about 73-78 degrees. It enters brackish water. It is extremely conspecifically aggressive and aggressive towards other fish. It is an omnivore, one that gets bloat easily if if does not eat enough plant matter, but is also a nasty piscivore.

In captivity, they need huge tanks, frequent water changes are are good monogamous parents. The females turn pure black and white when in breeding season. Males have bigger heads and many have nuchal humps. Inbreeding has produced some gold based strains. For pictures see "Images of Cichlasoma beani."

Its inclusion in Cichlasoma is mostly one of convenience: it's exact relationships have yet to be conculsively determined.