Laetacara literally translates to "Smiling Acaras," and arises from the lines across the lips of this group of dwarf cichlids. The False Keyhole is superficially similar to the true Keyhole Cichid, except for these lines on the lips. At a more mature age, there are also differences in colour, and size, but juveniles are quite similar.

These are a larger dwarf cichlid, pushing the limits of what it really means to be a dwarf. Despite their larger size, they are quite peaceful, but care should be taken to ensure that any tankmates maintained with them are not bite-sized.

Ours are all captive bred, with a breeding population in the fishroom. As such, we sell both adults and juveniles. These fish are quite forgiving of water conditions and water quality, and can be maintained in virtually any tap water, provided extremes are avoided.

Despite their larger adult size, these fish do have a relatively small mouth and are not particularly predatory. Very small fish may be eaten. We recommend mixing this fish wiht larger sized Loricardiids, any Cory Cats except Pygmy or Dwarf sized, larger rainbowfish, danios, and the like. Fair sized tetras, such as Emperors, Colombian, Gutattus, etc. also mix quite well.