Black Belt Cichlid

Vieja maculicauda is native to Atlantic-slope rivers and coastal lagoons of Guatemala and Belize, where it inhabits slow-moving lowland waters. Its most distinctive feature is a broad black saddle band across the posterior flanks, contrasting with a silvery or faintly rose-tinted body. Sexually dimorphic — males are larger with a more pronounced nuchal hump and red-orange colouration on the lower body when breeding. This is an energetic, large-growing species needing substantial space.