Cichlid Profiles- Cichlasoma pearsei
 

Foprmerly a Herichthys, Kullander reclassified this large attrative fish as a Cichlasoma in 1983. It has an a bright yellow ground color on its face, upper body and caudal section, but a big chocolate brown belly which is sharply demarcated. Belly and face and fins can turn black or orange or wine colored when breeding. It has 7 vague vertical bars and a blotch on the upper caudal peduncle. Males get 17 inches long and grow fast. They live in southern Mexico and Guatemala and are omnivores that eat a lot of plant matter.

In the aquarium they are only midly aggressive and are good tank mates for 200 gallon tanks. A single one needs a 75 gallon. They are conspecifically aggressive with other males. They eat a lot, mostly blanched greens and pellets. they like water 76-80 degrees, fairly hard, and pH 7.2-7.6. They are excellent parents, substrate brooders that like a tank of stones, tough plants,and roots, and lay up to 800 eggs. I have kept them and they are peaceful large tank community fish with huge appetites. Pictures at "Images of Cichlasoma pearsei."