It is native to the Atlantic slope of tropical Mesoamerica, ranging from eastern Mexico southward to Nicaragua.

[4] The Mayan cichlid inhabits freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, lakes, rivers, rocky shorelines, lagoons, estuaries, and coastal islands.

[8] To date, the Mayan cichlid has been most intensively studied at localities in southeastern Mexico on or near the Yucatán Peninsula.

[9] The Mayan cichlid is philopatric, or site tenacious, i.e. - individuals are non-migratory and prefer to stay within a home range.

[15] However, it is susceptible to malnourishment, apparently due to the requirement that a relatively large proportion of its diet be animal prey.

[8] The Mayan cichlid's diet includes plant matter, smaller fish, algae, detritus, snails, crustaceans, and insects.

This species is a monogamous, biparental substrate spawner that exhibits minimal sexual dimorphism and guards its fry for up to six weeks.

In Mexico, the Mayan cichlid spawns for a nine-month period from March to November, particularly during the wet season from June to September.

They exhibit strongly positive geotactic behavior, actively swimming down to the substrate upon hatching from the egg and adhering themselves to the bottom by means of three pairs of mucous glands.