I don’t post much about New World cichlids because, well, that isn’t what I keep. Nonetheless, there are lot of beautiful cichlids endemic to Central and South America (SA), many of which are highly popular in the hobby. In fact, there are some really cool cichlids found mostly in the country of French Guiana in South America (it is located just north of Brazil, btw)? Read on.
I have posted before about several SA cichlids such as pikes (Crenicichla), apistos (Apistogramma), eartheaters (Geophagus and Satanoperca), and several other genera. However, I have never posted about the Guianacara genus. There are seven named species in the genus, but they’re not all equally available in the aquarium trade. The bandit cichlid (Guianacara geayi) is probably the most common. Guianacara are primarily river based species usually categorized as dwarves in the hobby, maxing out at just around 5″ SL.
There is a short article in this month’s Amazonas magazine about Guianacara that contains great info and some some really nice photos. If you are a subscriber or can pick up a copy, check it out.