Lionhead cichlid
Steatocranus casuarius
- Tank length
- 100 cmabout 3 ft (39 in)
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C73–82 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Adult size
- 10 cm4 in
- Lifespan
- 8–12 yrs
A bottom-hugging rapid dweller that digs and defends caves; give rocks, flow and space for a pair.A bottom-hugging rapid dweller that digs and defends caves; give rocks, flow and space for a pair.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Lionhead cichlidAlligator gar may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Antenna ray
Antenna ray may eat Lionhead cichlidAntenna ray may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Lionhead cichlidArapaima may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat Lionhead cichlidAsian arowana may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Australian pearl arowana
Australian pearl arowana may eat Lionhead cichlidAustralian pearl arowana may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Barred bichir
Barred bichir may eat Lionhead cichlidBarred bichir may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Lionhead cichlidBullseye snakehead may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Butterfly peacock bass
Butterfly peacock bass may eat Lionhead cichlidButterfly peacock bass may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Channel catfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Clown knifefish
Clown knifefish may eat Lionhead cichlidClown knifefish may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Common river stingray
Common river stingray may eat Lionhead cichlidCommon river stingray may eat Lionhead cichlid
- Congo bichir
Congo bichir may eat Lionhead cichlidCongo bichir may eat Lionhead cichlid
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 23–28 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 3–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Lower Congo River rapids | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | sedentary | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | semi aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 8–12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 14 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 100 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |