Green Texas Cichlid (Carpintis)

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Northern Mexico, Panuco river system. Central/North American cichlid that inhabits both crystalline mountain rapids and turbid lagoons with outcropping rocks, mud and strong currents.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Pearlscale Cichlid / Green Texas Cichlid (Herichthys carpintis). Brutal morphology: discoidal, stocky, mouth designed to smash the carapaces of crustaceans. Males develop showy nuchal-humps on the nape once adults (about 25 cm / 10 inches).

Social Behavior: Territorial predator, hyper-aggressive if paired. During the "single" phase it tolerates fish larger than itself, but when the breeding pair is formed it will wipe out (killing) anything that shares the water with them.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Wonderful: dark gray/olive background, literally covered (including the face) by giant bright turquoise and light blue "pearls". In the reproductive phase half the front of the body becomes SNOW WHITE and the tail BLACK. Males thicker.

Aquarium Setup: Rocky aquarium for titans (min. 150 cm / 60 inches). Large and very heavy polished rocks to delimit boundaries; medium or coarse gravel (they dig trenches to lay). Any plant inserted will be uprooted or chewed to death.

Diet and Feeding: Opportunistic omnivore. Devouring machines: they devour live foods, shrimp, earthworms but desperately need a strong green component (zucchini or spirulina pellets) to avoid intestinal malformations (Bloat).

Water Quality: Strong, armored, almost impossible to kill through mild chemical errors. Requires hard waters (high GH) and decidedly basic (pH 7.5 - 8.0); tolerates Amazonian acidity poorly, never use peat.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Compatible only with other heavy Central American Cichlids, equipped with its same violence (Jack Dempsey, Jaguar Cichlid, giant Oscars) and large Loricariids (armored Plecostomus). Forget small fish (live food).

Aquarium Reproduction: Substrate Spawners on flat rock. Once the rock is cleaned, the female can release up to 1000 eggs at once! Both parents mount a hellish guard: they will bite hands, siphons and nets that touch the water.

Risks and Diseases: The Flowerhorn. Herichthys carpintis is one of the genetic progenitors used by Asian breeding networks to generate the controversial Flowerhorn hybrid, mixing it with C. trimaculatum. Often the "Herichthys" in stores are already soiled by hybridizations.