The laterally compressed body of this fish is oval shaped and the coloring is generally gold with a black, lateral stripe that extends from just behind the eye to the caudal fin. In places this stripe may be broken and the rear, lower parts of the fish may be darker. The fins have a gold tint. This fish will grow to about 6" (15 cm) in size. It’s natural habitat can be found on shallow, muddy shore areas of rivers with heavy vegetation. Central America; on Atlantic slope from Panama north to Honduras

It prefers the bottom and middle areas of the tank with a volume of 20 gallons (75 L). Provide hiding places with rocks, heavily vegetated areas, roots, and wood. Only robust plants should be used. Use fine gravel or sand as a substrate and leave open swimming areas.

The water parameters should be in the ranges of 6.5-7.5 pH (7.0), 4-15 dH (10), with water temperatures between 75-84F(24-29C).
This fish is a hardy, peaceful, but territorial fish. Combine with other fish ranging from live bearers to cichlids of comparable size. Pairs form nuclear families. Recommended tankmates include Cichlasomines, Pimelodids, Loricarids, South American Cichlids that are large, robust livebearers.
This fish thrives best when fed foods such as live; insect larvae, insects, worms, crustaceans; flakes; pellets; and tablets.
This fish is a difficult fish to sex. Males are slightly larger with pointed anal and dorsal fins. Males may be more colorful and have a pointed genital papilla. When attempting to breed, use water with a pH around 7.0, a harness from 5-10 dH, and a warm temperature of 79-84ÁF (26-29ÁC). Open breeders, the eggs are laid on rocks or small cavities. The male guards the eggs and fans them. When the fry hatch in 2-3 days, they are moved to pits where the male continues to guard them. Occasionally the parents may eat the fry so you may want to keep a close eye on them. This behavior can usually be attributed to a lack of room in the tank therefore a larger breeding tank should be established. Start feeding the fry with crushed dry food and Artemia. Breeding this fish is easy. Captive bred specimens have lost much of their coloration. This fish has the ability to rapidly change colors according to its mood. The rear and lower parts can change from whitish-gold to black.

The Rainbow Cichlid belongs to a monotypic genus, meaning that it is the only fish included. This fish is sexually mature at 3" (8 cm).
A robust cichlid that is recommended for a community tank with other similarly-sized Central American Cichlids.