Fun Cutteri Cichlid Facts For Kids

The cutteri cichlid is a species of bony fishes of order Cichliformes and a member of the family Cichlid. They like to stay on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. The distribution of cichlid is between the Banano River and San Juan River in Honduras and Guatemala. These Cryptoheros cutteri's food habits are most common to other cichlids as being an omnivore means they eat plants and algae as well as other fishes and insects. Their habitat preference is quite specific because some of them live in open water whereas others live on sandy beaches and rocks. Around one third of the cichlid species at all depths of water range are predators.

For those who wish to keep Cryptoheros spilurus in fish tanks or aquarium tanks, they may simply put them in a suitable water temperature for them to last survive for a long time. As we move towards the male and female species of cichlids, the males are more mature and colorful when compared to the female fish species in nature. During the breeding process, the end of the female's lower back will turn black. The ratio of females to males is 3:2. They are small in size compared to other fish and have a blue coloration. The life span of this species is about two to five  years.

For more relatable content, check out these rockfish facts and monkfish facts for kids.

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What type of animal is a cutteri cichlid?

The cutteri cichlid (Cryptoheros cutteri) is a freshwater fish belonging to the Cichlidae family.

What class of animal does a cutteri cichlid belong to?

The class of cichlid species is fish of phylum chordata.

How many cutteri cichlids are there in the world?

This species are found to be around 1650 in numbers. The Cryptoheros cutteri species is unknown in number but can be estimated between 2000-3000. Another famous cichlid is the firemouth cichlid.

Where does a cutteri cichlid live?

The Cryptoheros cutteri lives on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica in oceans and rivers that range from fast moving to slow moving. This fish needs well spacious,filtered tanks with rock and bogwood décor. The preferred pH. water level is generally 6.0 -7.0 and the water temperature of the tank needs to be around 21-27 C ( 70-80 F). Cichlids generally reside on the bottom of the river which is covered by rocks and leaf litter. They can be kept in aquarium, tanks, and are found in water bodies in the wild.

What is a cutteri cichlid's habitat?

The natural cutteri cichlid habitat includes the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica, which is found between the Banano River and San Juan River, and the Atlantic slope from Belize to Nicaragua which is tropical. The spawning pair habitats may be found among the high coast of the sea. Cichlid habitats are territorial and thus can be kept in home aquarium in tanks with size of minimum 35.4-39.3 in (90-100 cm).

Who do cutteri cichlid live with?

As these Cryptoheros cutteri are territorial and aggressive in nature, they cannot be kept with their own kind. Most of cichlids prefer to stay alone, but a breeding pair should be kept together in a tank to allow them to thrive. During breeding or spawning season, the breeding pair stays together. To keep the cichlid as spawning pairs, a mixed community tank of 6 ft (1.8 m) is beneficial.

How long does a cutteri cichlid live?

A Cryptoheros spilurus usually has a life span of two to five years. There is one cichlid called Oscar who had a lifespan of 10-20 years. Many cichlids die in their primary stage of life.

How do they reproduce?

The Cryptoheros cutteri or cichlid are monogamous pairs who reach their sexual maturity in around 16 weeks and spawning pairs spawn in small caves or cervices. They stay in pairs during spawning. The eggs from the females are adhered to the walls of the cave. After fertilization has taken place, the egg hatches in 72 hours and the parents expel predators from around the nest and at night, the adult pair detects any predators. The young ones are retrieved by their parents, and the new mothers start releasing their babies after a span of nearly two weeks. The new mother takes care of the young ones because the male fish eats the babies.

A person who keeps cichlids in a tank can also make a hiding place in the corners for baby cichlids which is very easy to make. The male parent is very aggressive in nature, especially when they breed and keeping this in mind, one should not keep the male parent and the young relative together. Eggs are carried by the female in their mouth. Spawning pairs are colored in different ways and are polyandrous.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these Cryptoheros spilurus is of Least Concern. In some regions, they are nearly endangered because cutters are endemic to small geographical areas. It is not easy to tell whether some species are facing a population decrease. Areas facing a population decrease are Central America, Africa and even in the case of Cryptoheros cutteri in Lake Victoria who have seen their numbers declining due to the introduction Nile perch. However, most of them are safe as they thrive in aquariums and tanks.

What do cutteri cichlids look like?

In most cases, Cryptoheros cutteri are not related to normal freshwater fish because of two distinguishing features which are the single opening of a nostril and the interrupted lateral line. They are blue and gray in color. Their lips are large in size and puffy to suck food and they have seven rows of teeth contained by the outer jaw decreased in size. An ancestral tooth looks similar to the shape of a cone but varies due to the cichlid diet of fish. In terms of gender, the male is larger than the female. Females are minuscule and about are thirty times smaller than a male. As males are colored simply in a natural manner, a female cichlid has a gold color on the spilurus including the lower midsection to attract males. The last band on their caudal base is quite broad. One tank should contain one member of this community as they are a compatible pair and very aggressive. Cutter's and spilurus can be differentiated according to their drab gray color.

How cute are they?

Cryptoheros spilurus are medium in size but their colorful body make them relatively quite cute. In some, the size varies a lot and mixed with other cichlids found in Guatemala and Honduras. Their blue color makes this community of cichlids very beautiful.

How do they communicate?

Both the parents and babies of Cryptoheros cutteri can communicate in a relative manner through visual, acoustic, tactile, and chemical cues. People who keep them in aquarium have a habit of understanding their postures and gestures.

How big is a cutteri cichlid?

The cichlid body length or size ranges between 4-4.7 in (10-12 cm), which is 15 times smaller than koi fish.

How fast can a cutteri cichlid swim?

The swimming speed of this fish is unknown.

How much does a cutteri cichlid weigh?

The body weight is around 1.2-1.3 oz (34-36 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

No separate name is given to the male and female cutteri cichlid.

What would you call a baby cutteri cichlid?

Baby cutteri cichlid (Cryptoheros cutteri) is known as larvae.

What do they eat?

The cutteri cichlid diet consists of flakes food, frozen food, algae and some times other small fish and insects.

Are they dangerous?

They are aggressive but not dangerous and are easily available in Honduras. They can act harsh towards the same species, but when kept in a mixed community tank, they like it better, especially when they are breeding.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they can be a good pet as they have so much value in Central America like Honduras and people still keep them in home aquarium tanks and fish tanks as they are so reserved. They are larger than clownfish and are readily available in some regions for aquarium tanks. As the cutteri cichlid temperament is good, they can be kept as spawning pairs in a mixed community tank of 6 ft (1.8 m) size minimum.

Did you know...

This blue eyed fish or we can say cutteri cichlid for sale is available in counties like Honduras and have a great value as an aquarium fish. Shopkeepers keep them reserved for those who pay them a high amount to buy this full character fish.

They are mostly available in Central America for pet.

Why is it called a cutteri cichlid?

The name cutteri cichlid is given when the convict cichlid has sometimes been put within the Cryptoheros genus as well. The name cutter's cichlid is a common name.

Are cutteri cichlid endangered?

No, they are of Least Concern as their population is stable as they are commonly raised in an aquarium or fish tank by many people.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these peacock cichlid facts and rainbow cichlid facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Cutteri cichlid coloring pages.