El Salvador

The Colombian shark catfish, Ariopsis seemanni, is an ariid catfish from river mouths along the Pacific coast of the Americas, from Mexico to Peru. Usually sold as a silvery 2 to 3 inch juvenile, it grows to 350 mm SL and lives mostly in brackish water, so it is not recommended to those lacking the facilities to house it for life. Venom glands at the base of the first dorsal spine can cause a painful swelling.

The three spot cichlid or trimac, Cichlasoma trimaculatum, is a large cichlid from western Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. It lives mainly in sluggish waters of the Pacific coastal plains, among roots, branches and vegetation over mud and sand. A fairly aggressive fish that grows to around 40 cm, it is believed to be one of the species used to create the flowerhorn hybrid, and both parents guard the eggs and fry.

The convict cichlid, Amatitlania nigrofasciata, is a Central American cichlid native from Guatemala to Panama. One of the most ubiquitous fish in the hobby, it is hardy and very easily bred, but aggressive and territorial, becomes violent when breeding and is best kept in a species tank. Pink, long-finned and marbled forms exist, and it has been introduced to several countries including the USA and Australia.