Rostratus Cichlid (Cribroheros rostratus)

Meet the Rostratus Cichlid, a beaked sand-sifter from Nicaragua

The Rostratus Cichlid (Cribroheros rostratus) is a Central American cichlid from Lake Nicaragua and the rivers and lakes around it. Rostratus is Latin for "beaked", a fair description of its long, pointed snout. It is a fish of open sandy floors, where it takes in mouthfuls of substrate and sorts out insects and other food. In shops it is usually labelled with one of its older names, Amphilophus rostratus or Astatheros rostratus.

It is not the Lake Malawi fish with the same species name. Fossorochromis rostratus, sold by us as the Copper Rostratus Hap and the Sand Diver Cichlid, is an African haplochromine that needs hard, alkaline lake water and Malawi tank mates. The two fish share a Latin word, not a continent, a family branch or a care sheet.

Check the names on the label

Theodore Gill described the species in 1877 from fish taken in Lake Nicaragua, according to Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. In 2016 Říčan and Piálek created the genus Cribroheros for it and its relatives. Wikipedia lists eight species, including the Pastel Cichlid (C. alfari), the Red-breast Cichlid (C. longimanus) and the False Firemouth (C. robertsoni), ranging from western Panama to southern Mexico and reaching up to 19 cm standard length. TFC files its long-time relatives under Amphilophus cichlids.

Know exactly what you receive

One purchase supplies one live Rostratus Cichlid. The size option is "Standard": the fish is sent at the size currently available, which is well below adult size. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed, and the sources we checked do not describe a reliable way to sex young fish.

The photographs show the type of fish, not the individual you will receive. Colour and the dark markings along the flank vary with age, mood and lighting, and a newly moved fish is usually paler than one that has settled in.

Plan the stocking before you order

• One fish: a robust feature fish for a large community of similar-sized cichlids.
• Two or more: buy young fish together and allow space for a pair to claim a territory if one forms.
• Mixed Central Americans: choose calm species of similar size and plan the territories before the fish arrive.

Read our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee information before ordering, and browse more rare and collector fish if you enjoy unusual species.

Plan the aquarium around an 18.5 cm adult

FishBase gives a maximum of 18.5 cm standard length, measured from the snout to the base of the tail, so the whole fish is noticeably longer. Some shop descriptions quote 20–25 cm; we have not found that figure in a published source and use the FishBase value.

No minimum tank is published for this species. OATA advises at least 300 litres for American cichlids that grow over 15 cm. Practical Fishkeeping suggests about 227 litres for the related Cribroheros rhytisma, an 18 cm fish of a similar build. We suggest at least 300 litres and a tank of 150 cm or longer for a pair or a mixed group, because these fish use the floor area rather than the height.

Run a three-step space check

1. Measure the floor: 150 cm or more in length and as deep from front to back as you can manage.
2. Calculate the volume: our tank volume calculator converts your dimensions into litres for choosing the filter and heater.
3. Count the territories: one open sandy area per pair, separated by rocks or wood, plus refuges for any fish that loses a dispute.

Recreate a lake-shore floor of sand and stones

FishBase describes it as a floodplain fish found between sea level and 200 m, in lakes and rivers with low to high current, across the Atlantic slope of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, including the San Juan drainage and Lakes Managua and Masaya. Studies quoted by FishBase found mainly aquatic insects in its diet, together with abundant detritus and sediment, which is what you expect from a fish that sifts the bottom.

Practical Fishkeeping recommends silver sand, river-worn boulders and pebbles for the related C. rhytisma, so that the fish can sift for food naturally. The same layout suits this species. Use soft, rounded sand, never sharp gravel, and leave a wide open area at the front.

Divide the floor by function

Place heavy stones before adding the sand and keep heaters and pipework guarded. Seriously Fish gives the same advice for the large cichlids of the Nicaraguan lakes: decor heavy enough that the fish cannot move it, and protected or concealed equipment.

Keep the water warm and moderately hard

FishBase records 23–34°C for wild fish, a broad range typical of shallow tropical lakes. No pH or hardness is published for this species. As a guide we use two sources: Seriously Fish gives pH 6.0–8.0 and 5–25 dGH for the Midas cichlid, which lives in the same Nicaraguan lakes, and OATA gives 22–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12°dH for American cichlids in general.

Match your tap water

Most UK tap water, once treated with a conditioner, falls inside these ranges. Hard, alkaline supplies in southern and eastern England need no adjustment; very soft supplies benefit from a little crushed coral in the filter to steady the pH. Compare your readings with our water matcher, and read our water chemistry guide if any number is unfamiliar.

Filter for a big fish that stirs the sand

A large cichlid that sifts all day produces plenty of waste and keeps fine particles in suspension. Fit a filter rated for several times the tank volume per hour, with sponge or floss to trap fine sand and plenty of biological media. Practical Fishkeeping notes that the related C. rhytisma comes from moderate to fast-flowing water and benefits from decent flow. Our aquarium filtration guide explains sizing and maintenance.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH at least once a week, as OATA advises.
2. Change about 25% of the water with conditioned water at the same temperature.
3. Siphon the surface of the sand where waste collects.
4. Rinse filter media in removed tank water, never under the tap.
5. Check that heater guards and pipework have not been moved.

Feed a bottom-feeding omnivore

In the wild it lives mainly on aquatic insects picked out of the sediment. In the aquarium it takes prepared foods readily. OATA recommends cichlid pellets or granules supplemented with frozen or freeze-dried foods, with larger items such as cockles, lance fish and prawns for larger species, fed once a day.

Build one measured meal

• Staple: a sinking cichlid pellet that reaches the sand intact.
• Insect-style foods: frozen bloodworm, mosquito larvae or mysis two or three times a week.
• Larger items: chopped prawn or cockle as an occasional treat.
• Portion: only what is eaten within a few minutes; OATA warns that American cichlids eat large amounts in one sitting.

Feed over the open sand so the fish can search for food the way it does in the wild, and remove anything left after a few minutes.

Settle it in during the first week

Add the fish only to a matured, filtered aquarium with ammonia and nitrite at zero. OATA's floating-bag method is to switch off the aquarium lights, float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, add small amounts of tank water over up to 20 minutes, and release the fish with as little bag water as possible. Our guide to acclimatising new fish shows each step.

Use first-week checkpoints

Choose tank mates of similar size and temper

The sources we checked say little about this species' temperament. Practical Fishkeeping describes its close relative C. rhytisma as an open spawner that becomes aggressive during reproduction. OATA advises that calmer American cichlids such as severums can share a robust community with larger fish, while aggressive species should be kept alone or only with equally aggressive cichlids. Its lake neighbour the Midas cichlid is, in Seriously Fish's words, one of the most belligerent cichlids, so keep the two apart.

Screen each companion

Check a planned mix with our tank mates tool. Our Jack Dempsey guide covers the planning for another medium-large Central American cichlid, and our cichlid care guide explains territories and aggression. Browse all South and Central American cichlids or the full American cichlid category.

Watch these health signs

OATA describes a healthy fish as having clear, bright eyes, undamaged fins, intact scales, no ulcers or lumps, normal swimming and steady breathing. Clamped fins, flicking against decor and shimmying are early warning signs. Most problems in large cichlids follow a fall in water quality, so test before you treat.

Pair each sign with an action

Understand what is known about breeding

We found no published aquarium breeding report for this species. Its relatives are open spawners: Practical Fishkeeping says the related C. rhytisma becomes aggressive during reproduction, that females should be given shelter, and that you should be ready to remove the fish and raise the brood yourself if disputes break out. A sexing method for C. rostratus is not described in the sources we checked.

Prepare for a spawning pair

• Provide flat stones on open sand as likely spawning sites.
• Give the female several refuges she can reach quickly.
• Watch other fish closely once a pair starts cleaning a stone.
• Have a spare tank or divider ready in case the pair turns on its tank mates.

Answer Rostratus Cichlid buying questions

Is this the same fish as the Malawi rostratus?

No. This is Cribroheros rostratus, a Central American cichlid from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The Malawi fish sold as Rostratus or Sand Diver is Fossorochromis rostratus from Lake Malawi in Africa. They share only the species name, which means "beaked".

Why are there so many scientific names?

Gill described it in 1877 as Heros rostratus from Lake Nicaragua. It was later placed in Cichlasoma, Thorichthys, Astatheros and Amphilophus. In 2016 Říčan and Piálek moved it to the new genus Cribroheros, the name Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and FishBase use today.

How big does a Rostratus Cichlid grow?

FishBase gives a maximum of 18.5 cm standard length, measured without the tail, and the genus is listed as reaching up to 19 cm. Some shop descriptions quote 20–25 cm, which we have not found in a published source.

What size aquarium does it need?

OATA advises at least 300 litres for American cichlids that grow over 15 cm. We suggest a tank of at least 150 cm long and 300 litres for a pair or a mixed group, with plenty of open sand.

What water does it need?

FishBase records 23–34°C in the wild. No pH or hardness is published for the species, so we suggest 24–27°C, pH 7.0–8.0 and 5–15 dGH, which sits inside the published ranges for the Midas cichlid from the same lakes and inside OATA's American cichlid guidance.

Is it aggressive?

It is a sturdy fish rather than a bully, but like most Central American cichlids it becomes defensive when breeding. Keep it with fish of a similar size and temperament and avoid the very belligerent Red Devil and Midas cichlids, which share its home lakes.

What does it eat?

Wild fish eat mainly aquatic insects, with plenty of detritus and sediment in the gut. In the aquarium give a sinking cichlid pellet as the staple, with frozen foods such as bloodworm, mysis, chopped prawn or cockle.

Does it need sand?

Yes. It feeds by taking in mouthfuls of substrate and sorting out food, so a soft sand floor lets it behave normally and protects its gills.

How many fish come with one purchase?

One live fish of the standard size currently available. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed.

Consult the care references

• FishBase: Cribroheros rostratus — current name Cribroheros rostratus, maximum standard length, temperature, range, habitat, diet and IUCN status.
• Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Heros rostratus — original name Heros rostratus Gill 1877, type locality Lake Nicaragua and every earlier genus placement.
• Wikipedia: Cribroheros — the genus Cribroheros, its eight species, range and size limit.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Astatheros rhytisma — keeping the related rhytisma cichlid: sand and boulders to sift, tank volume and open spawning.
• Seriously Fish: Amphilophus citrinellus — the Midas cichlid from the same lakes: water range and why it is too belligerent to share a tank.
• OATA: How to look after American cichlids — UK guidance on water quality, tank volume, acclimatisation, feeding and weekly water changes for American cichlids.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.