25b. Perchlike fishes (2): Cichlids from the Great African Lakes (69)

Maylandia lombardoi

10. July 2023

Who remembers art class in school? Among the first things you learn are color temperatures, right? According to this, red, yellow and orange are warm colors, while blue, green and purple are cool colors. In Lake Malawi’s rock cichlids, the mbuna, the territory-owning males usually shine in cool colors (usually blue), and the females exhibit warm colors. But there is a well-known exception: Maylandia lombardoi. Here it is just the opposite: males in bright yellow (warm), females blue (cold).

Maylandia lombardoi is only found in a few places in Lake Malawi, which is huge. Originally it comes from the coast of the Mbenji group of islands and from the Nkhomo reef, at Namalenje island there is a probably allochthonous (= originally not native there, displaced) population. This makes the species theoretically vulnerable to overfishing and environmental disasters. However, the former is not to be feared, since the aquaristic demand can be easily and much more cheaply met by captive breeding than by wild catch. We have no control over the latter here.

Maylandia lombardoi was one of the first Malawi cichlids and at that time (in the 1970s) really expensive. Many aquarists had to pay bitter lesson money, if they could buy only one pair. Because territory-owning males of M. lombardoi belong to the most aggressive mbuna at all. Nowadays all this is not so tragic. Large aquariums (from 150 cm edge length) and large groups (not less than 10 specimens, better 20) provide a fair distribution of the beating. The gender composition does not really matter. Suppressed males take on female coloration. However, they always remain recognizable by the large yellow egg spot in the anal fin, which is always missing in females. Dominant females may also develop yellow coloration. Such a troop of colorful mbuna offers a very varied picture and countless observation possibilities to the intraspecific behavior of these magnificent animals, which reach 10-12 cm length. The photographed animals are 4-6 cm long.

For our customers: the fish have code 572502 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Placidochromis milomo

21. June 2023

Lake Malawi in the heart of Africa is home to an enormous variety of cichlids. Often it is difficult to decide whether in individual cases they are different species or local variants. Extremely popular in aquaristics are the rock cichlids (Mbuna). But also among the non-Mbuna, which in their habitat are not so dependent on the algae growths growing on rocks as a food basis, many fantastically colored and interesting cichlids can be found.

Among the latter is Placidochromis milomo, a bulb-lipped cichlid that once, in the late 1970s, came to our aquariums as a highly prized rarity. At that time, it was still called “Haplochromis sp. Super VC 10.” The Super VC 10 was a popular, very fast small aircraft. The cichlid was so named because it dived at a high speed into deeper water layers when approached by catchers. It was not until 1989 that the species was then officially described as Placidochromis milomo, borrowing the word milomo from the Chichewa word for lips. It refers to the highly hypertrophied lips with fleshy middle lobes of this fish species.

What are these thick lips of the up to 20 cm long animal good for? Scholars argue about that. There is the thesis that the thick lips seal rock crevices into which small fish take refuge. Then the bulge-lipped cichlids could suck out the prey by negative pressure. Other researchers vigorously dispute this, pointing out that biomechanically this would not work at all. Thus there is a second widespread thesis that the thick lips are a kind of shock absorber. This is because the cichlids would keep bumping into rocks at high speed while chasing small fish. And it is a fact that the lips of aquarium fish (even wild-caught) are never as thick as in nature. In the aquarium, by the way, the fish love to dig through the bottom Geophagus-style.

Our P. miolomo are offspring from Asia. Besides their interesting behavior and beautiful coloration, P. milomo have something else to offer: they are among the most peaceful mouthbrooders ever! Even two males get along quite well in the aquarium.

For our customers: the animals have code 530202 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba”

23. January 2023

At first sight one could think Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” (the species is not yet scientifically described) is a typical mbuna of Lake Malawi: blue ground color, zebra stripes. But in reality Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is quite different. It is not a mbuna in the real sense, which are known to be algae/Aufwuchs eaters and aggressively defend their relatively large territories, because algae growth is sparse there, but a small animal picker. This can also be seen by their single pointed, forward facing teeth, which are not at all suitable for scraping off algae/Aufwuchs. L. sp. “Mbamba” thus specifically picks up small food particles. It is considered one of the most peaceful Malawi cichlids, but this should always be seen relatively. Disheveled fins can also be found in this species from time to time.

In any case Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is a very shy fish. And he is very exciting to watch, because he changes his colors all the time. This is how these fish communicate. In neutral dress they are light blue, the vertical stripes rather indistinct, the fins nice yellow. Strongly disturbed they become dark blue. And the boss in the ring turns black in the head area, the vertical stripes stand out intensely. Females are very light blue, going into brownish. Males that are low in the rank order turn the same color as females. One can spend hours watching a troop of perhaps 15 or 20 specimens and studying their communication!

So far this species is only known from Mbamba Bay in Tanzania, hence the name, where the species exists in four known populations. In the aquarium the usual rules of Malawi cichlid care apply: as large as possible, well-structured aquariums (i.e. many rocks, caves, hiding places), clean water, temperatures around 24-28°C, pH not below 7.5. As far as nutrition is concerned, these fish are less sensitive to the “normal” ornamental fish diet, which for many growth-eating Mbunas is nevertheless too nutrient-rich, which is why they grow significantly larger in the aquarium than in nature. A good brand flake food and frozen food in the form of small crustaceans (Artemia, Daphnia, Cyclops) ensure healthy, colorful Labidochromis.

For our customers: the animals have code 541402 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lamprologus brevis

16. January 2023

Snail cichlids are fascinating animals. They have chosen empty snail shells – in Lake Tanganyika there are large accumulations of empty shells of snails of the genus Neothauma – as their center of life. Neothauma snails are with a diameter of 4-5 cm relatively large snails from the relationship of the mystery snails. However, in the aquarium snail cichlids are also satisfied with other snail shells of comparable size, e.g. Roman snail shells, which can be bought in the grocery store at any time. Here in the photo session we used the house of an Asian apple snail (Pila sp.).

There is disagreement about the genus of Lamprologus brevis. Some scientists assign only the species of the lower Congo to the genus Lamprologus and put all species of Lake Tanganyika in Neolamprologus (and other genera), others think this is nonsense and leave especially the snail cichlids (there are several species) in Lamprologus. For us aquarists it doesn’t matter, you should just know that Lamprologus brevis can also be found under the name Neolamprologus brevis. Both are the same species.

Lamprologus brevis was already described in 1899 from the area of Albertville, Congolese shore of Lake Tanganyika. Males grow to about 5 cm long, females remain somewhat smaller. Both partners inhabit the same snail shell. The area around their home snail shell is vigorously defended, but otherwise these small fish need little space because of their “house-hopping” habits. They will eat any common fish food. Both parents take care of the brood and often there are floor broods where the fry of several clutches live together with the parents in the same snail shell until the parents eventually chase the offspring away.

For our customers: the animals have code 542001 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis “Blue Neon”

22. August 2022

Cyprichromis and Paracyprichromis are very special mouthbrooding cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. They live in sometimes huge schools and feed on small animals that they pick from the free water column. To attract the attention of females, the males can be very colorful. They do not occupy actual territories. The females, on the other hand, are as inconspicuously colored as possible and enjoy the protection of the community from predators in the shoal.

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis grows to about 10 cm in length. The genus Paracyprichromis differs from Cyprichromis purely visually mainly by the tail fin shape, which in male Paracyprichromis is adorned with extended tips. Females are less intensely colored than males and have a transparent caudal fin.

For our customers: the animals have code 520001 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Maylandia estherae Red/Red

19. August 2022

One of the most popular, because most colorful cichlids of Lake Malawi is the O-form of Maylandia estherae (synonym: Metriaclima e.). “O” stands for “orange.” As with many other species of Lake Malawi, several color forms occur within the same population of M. estherae in the wild. In the “normal” color form of M. estherae, the males are bright light blue with delicate vertical stripes, and the females are brownish. In the O-form, the fish are bright orange over the entire surface. In nature, it is mainly females that exhibit the O-form, but there are also – although extremely rare – O-males. Finally, there are OB forms (“orange blotch”) and Marmalade Cats (this is the name given to particularly attractive tricolored pied males). These are pied fish with an individual coloration. This means that there are no two individuals with exactly the same coloration. 

Unlike in nature, where O-males are, as mentioned, very rare, a breeder who has mastered the Mendelian rules of inheritance can breed O-males relatively easily and thus the Red-Red forms are extremely popular and common in aquaristics, where mainly captive bred specimens are traded. O-males have egg spots in the anal fin, so they can be recognized even at a young age.

Maylandia esterae grows to 12-14 cm in the aquarium and can be quite aggressive, like many mbuna. Therefore they should be kept in large aquariums and in large groups, then you will have a lot of fun with these magnificent animals. In order to keep the wonderful orange-red color, the food in the aquarium must be similar to the natural diet, i.e. a high proportion of algae (spirulina) and small crustaceans (cyclops), if possible no worm food and altogether a diet rich in fiber.

For our customers: the fish have code 568422 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Julidochromis marlieri

8. June 2022

The julies (Julidochromis) belong to the most popular cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. They are very beautiful, colorful and comparatively peaceful animals. Of course, for reproduction territories are formed and defended against other fish. All Julidochromis are recommendable aquarium fish, there is a suitable species for every aquarium. The largest is J. marlieri, of which we can offer just magnificent, almost adult animals of 7-10 cm length. The maximum length of the species given in literature is just under 15 cm (including tail fin). 

Julidochromis marlieri are mostly monogamous, but there are also polyandrous females, which live in polyandry. In this case, the males defend the spawning territory (usually a rock crevice or the like) and the female swims the territories and occasionally spawns with one or the other male.

Here you find a video of our fish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqLZw1h7foA

For our customers: The fish have code 538304 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Neolamprologus pulcher (= N. brichardi)

10. May 2022

Whoever coined the name “Princess of Burundi” for this beautiful small cichlid: it is a brilliant name! The fish commonly known as Neolamprologus brichardi is by no means found only in Burundi, but is distributed in numerous color variants in Lake Tanganyika, which led to several scientific descriptions: Lamprologus savoryi pulcher, L. olivaceus, L. elongatus savoryi, Neolamprologus daffodil, Lamprologus crassus and just L. brichardi. If one follows the opinion of Ad Konings, these are all members of the same species, which should then be correctly named Neolamprologus pulcher according to the rules of naming.

Fortunately, the little noblewoman does not care, because she does not read. And so the beautiful, including the long extended caudal fin only about 9 cm long fish delights now already the third or fourth aquarist generation with its wonderful appearance and the highly interesting breeding behavior. Both parents (which by the way hardly differ externally) defend together the spawning place (usually a stone crevice) and the young. In contrast to most other cichlids, the young, when they become independent, only partially migrate, the rest stay at home and take care of the younger siblings with mom and dad. Thus, over time, a fantastic picture emerges, a teeming of several ages that you really should have seen at least once in your life.

For our customers: the fish have code 542502 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cyphotilapia frontosa

20. April 2022

The humpheaded Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) from Lake Tanganyika has enjoyed great popularity for decades, although (or: because!) the species belongs to the bull class among the cichlids. Old males, which look downright bizarre with their forehead hump, can grow 30 cm long. Females generally remain smaller. In addition, C. frontosa is a crepuscular predator that prefers to feed on small fish and shrimp. Nevertheless: hardly any fan of the cichlids of East Africa, who has a larger tank at his disposal, can refrain from having his own experiences with these imposing animals.

Thereby C. frontosa has always belonged to the more expensive fishes. Wild catches have to be dived with compressed air tanks, because they live at a depth of 30-40 meters. And they have to be decompressed slowly over days, which is cost-intensive, because you have to drive to the catch site every day, dive down to the net cages with compressed air bottles, at least in the beginning, see if the animals are doing well and move the net cage a few meters towards the water surface again. Breeding of the mouthbrooder in the female sex succeeds relatively easily, but the fish are not very productive and the young fish grow very slowly.

There are several geographic color varieties of the species distributed throughout Lake Tanganyika. One has six body stripes plus a stripe through the eye, for a total of seven stripes; most have five body stripes plus the eye stripe, for a total of six stripes. If you are looking for a specific variant, you have to be careful here, because the designations in the trade sometimes refer only to the body stripes, but sometimes – so with us – to the total number of stripes. So we have – besides frontosas named especially after the locality – six-striped and seven-striped frontosas on the stock list, other dealers designate the same animals according to the number of body stripes as five- and six-striped frontosas. 

The six-stripers, which we currently offer as captive bred specimens from Taiwan, stand out due to the beautiful blue coloration of the fins. The dark body stripes contrast very nicely with the light background, which is also bluish in color. Of course, there is no sign of a head bump on the 4-6 cm large animals yet. A sex determination is still impossible with young animals of this size.

For our customers: the animals have code 517002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Chindongo socolofi (= Pseudotropheus s.)

8. September 2021

What is the saying? Who does not ask, remains stupid. In the case of the rock cichlids of Lake Malawi, the so-called Mbuna, it is undoubtedly the garish, bright colors that initially attract attention and led to the much quoted comparison with coral fish. In fact, the colors of the mbuna have primarily the same task as those of the coral fishes: a demarcation against other species as clear as possible. This makes it easier to recognize one’s own species and this in turn avoids fights, because with members of other species there is no need to fight so intensively for available food (other species usually eat something else) and for females.

Among the most combative mbuna of all is the type species of the genus Chindongo, C. bellicosus, which was described along with the genus in 2016. The species name “bellicosus” means “warlike”! Chindongo includes the species C. ater, C. bellicosus, C. cyaneus, C. demasoni, C. elongatus, C. flavus, C. heteropictus, C. longior, C. minutus, C. saulosi, and C. socolofi. They are among the smallest mbuna and – at least in the wild – barely exceed 8 cm in length. In the aquarium, however, they can grow 50% larger.

In many mbuna, also in quite a few Chindongo, there is a clear gender dichromatism. In other words, sexually mature males are colored differently than females. Juveniles all look like females. Why? Because only sexually mature males defend territories and indicate with flaunting colors that they cordially invite any passing female to mate with them. Other males in showy colors, on the other hand, are beaten up. So far, so logical. But why are there species, like Cindongo socolofi, where males and females cannot be distinguished optically? Only the egg spots in the anal fin are missing in the females or are at least less pronounced. Why this? There is no answer to this question yet.

Maybe you will find out, dear reader? In any case, we have just pretty, fully colored and with 6-7 cm length almost fully grown Chindongo socolofi from Southeast Asian breeding in the stock. By the way, this species is relatively peaceful in the aquarium. So the opportunity to explore is there: go ahead!

For our customers: the animals have code 573202 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Sciaenochromis fryeri

23. August 2021

Many rock dwelling cichlids (mbunas) of Lake Malawi live isolated on certain rocky shores. These are often miles away from other rocky biotopes, so geographic isolation leads relatively quickly to local color variations.

Other cichlids of the lake, such as Sciaenchromis fryeri, are not bound to specific biotopes and occur accordingly throughout the lake. Although there are tendencies for them to look slightly different in certain regions – for example, in S. fryeri the anal fins of males from the south of the lake are reddish, while those from the north are more yellowish – on the whole these differences are rather marginal.

Of Sciaenochromis fryeri the “Iceberg” variety (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/sciaenochromis-fryeri-iceberg-2/) is especially popular, but also the wild colored animals are beautiful fish with their brilliant azure blue. One should not keep these cichlids together with the fast and aggressive mbunas of Lake Malawi. These species interfere with each other and also have completely different food requirements. While S. fryeri is a small predator that follows large cichlids in the wild, which dig for food in the substrate, scaring up small fish and shrimp that S. fryeri grabs, mbunas feed mainly on aufwuchs, i.e. algae and microorganisms found in it, a very high-bulk diet. In the aquarium, Sciaenochromis get shortchanged compared to fast Mbunas, resulting in fatty Mbunas and malnourished Sciaenochromis. No one wants that.

Sciaenochromis fryeri is a typical mouthbrooder in the female gender and grows to about 15 cm long. Males and females differ clearly in coloration.

For our customers: the animals have code 574295 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aulonocara Orange Blotched

12. August 2021

Everything there is to say about these wonderfully colorful cichlids has already been said about another breeding variety, the Aulonocara Dragon Blood: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/aulonocara-dragon-blood-2/

The Orange Blotched are now one of the most common Malawi cichlids on the market. No wonder: there is hardly a fish species, which shows such a variety of bright colors, like these animals!

For our customers: the fish have code 502763 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aulonocara “Dragon Blood”

2. July 2021

Aulonocara are a specious and colorful genus of Malawi cichlids; because of their brightly colored dress they are called “peacocks” in English. They are small-animal eaters that selectively ingest small chunks of food.

Another group of cichlids in Lake Malawi feeds on the algae and the microorganisms (= Aufwuchs) they contain, which grow on rocks. These cichlids are called “mbuna” after a name given to this group of fish by local fishermen. Among the Mbunas there is a phenomenon that is not yet well explained: the so-called O- and OB- forms. O stands for “orange”, OB for “orange blotch”. These extremely deviant colored animals can occur in several species and are not necessarily bound to the sex. 

Although peacock cichlids and mbunas look very different, they have common ancestors. And the amazing thing is: they can even be crossed! Of course, such crossbreeding is done artificially, i.e. eggs and sperm are mixed and incubated “in the test tube”. Thereby the so called Fire Fish, Dragon Blood, O- and OB-Aulonocara were created, of which nowadays there are countless lines and at least as many imaginative names. All in all, hardly any animal is identical to the other, as it is to be expected due to the hybrid character. In feeding behavior and general body shape these animals resemble the Aulonocara species.

They are extremely colorful fish with bright colors, a real alternative for aquarists who like it very colorful, but do not want to make the effort of coral fish aquaristics. A basic requirement, however, are aquariums as large as possible, because although these animals grow only 10-15 cm long, they can develop a lot of temperament!

For our customers: the animals have code 502783 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Melanochromis johannii

30. June 2021

The bluegray mbuna or the electric blue johanni (Melanochromis johannii) was imported so early (1972) from Lake Malawi for the hobby that one still made the effort to invent a popular name for it. This was later abandoned in view of the great number of species. In the wild, these fish, like many other Aufwuchs-feeding rock cichlids (mbunas), remain a good third smaller than in the aquarium, where they can grow to a maximum length of 12 cm. At about 5 cm in length, the males begin to color. They then get a bright blue base coloration, while the females remain orange. Juveniles show female coloration. However, when a male gets tired of being constantly beaten up by the boss (mbunas are quite aggressive fish), he puts on female clothes and then has peace for the time being. You can always recognize males disguised as females by the eggspots in the anal fin, which are missing in females.

The generic classification of the Mbunas is based to a large extent on the pattern of markings. Melanochromis has horizontal dark bars and in males the pattern reverses with the onset of sexual maturity, i.e., what was previously yellow becomes black, for example, and what was previously black becomes blue, for example, as in the well-known auratus cichlid, M. auratus. Because the latter does not occur in M. johannii, but the black streaking in males and females remains the same and only the basic coloration changes, it has been suggested to place M. johannii in Pseudotropheus. Some follow the suggestion, others do not. In the end, this is of rather minor importance in aquaristics.

Anyway, M. johannii has many friends since its first importation and is always available as offspring for aquarium enthusiasts all over the world. They are typical agame mouthbrooders in the female gender, i.e. after spawning the male does not take care of the female and the offspring. To keep these fish colorful and vital even after hundreds of generations in the aquarium, they must not be fed too fat and protein-rich, but need a diet rich in fiber and vitamins. The water should not be too cool (26-28°C) and the pH should be well above 7.5. A lot of water changes ensures low polluted water, which is also important. Because of the aggressiveness Mbunas are best kept in large groups of both sexes, 10 animals are good, 20 better. The aquarium should also have many hiding places where inferior specimens and breeding females can retreat.

For our customers: the animals have code 551500 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Bright blue Maylandia from Thailand

14. June 2021

The zebra cichlids of Lake Malawi were among the first cichlids to come to us from this great lake in the 1960s. At that time they caused real enthusiasm storms. Aquarists had no idea of the enormous diversity of species and forms that exist there. So the zebras were simply called “Pseudotropheus zebra” after one of the few described species.

Today one knows it better and distinguishes with the zebra cichlids 32 different species, whereby there are also still undescribed ones and all form besides several distinguishable location variants. These zebra cichlids in the narrower sense were also separated from Pseudotropheus and transferred into their own genus, which is called Maylandia. A synonym to Maylandia is Metriaclima, so you can find all Maylandia species in the aquaristic literature also as Metriaclima.

Unfortunately, these species interbreed easily in the aquarium, so unintentional hybrids often occur. The beautiful blue Maylandia we received from Thailand under the name “M. estherae Blue” certainly do not belong to the species M. estherae, but are M. callainos with some M. zebra blood. For all hobbyists who just want to keep beautiful blue Malawi cichlids, Malawi cichlids from Far Eastern breeding are a good choice.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus

4. June 2021

The species of the genus Lepidiolamprologus belong with about 15 cm final length to the largest representatives of the Lamprologus relationship in Lake Tanganyika. They are predatory animals that like to feed on small fish. Like so many predators, they are remarkably peaceful toward fish that do not serve as food.

In the lake, Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus inhabits areas with sandy bottoms; it builds craters in which it spawns. However, the species does not spawn in the sand itself, but on small stones or shells found in the crater, because all Lamprologus relatives are adhesive spawners that must attach their eggs somewhere. Both parents guard the fry together. At breeding time they get black pelvic fins, as can be seen well in the animals on the pictures, which came in breeding mood in the photo tank.

By the way, L. attenuatus can easily be confused with a snail cichlid, Neolamprologus meeli, which has a very similarly marked caudal fin. However, the head profile of both species is very different. During our photo session, an N. meeli had accidentally snuck in with them, because when caught out – that is, in fright coloration – the two species look extraordinarily similar, and the N. meeli must have jumped in from the neighboring tank to join its cousins. In fact, Ad Konings argues that N. meeli should be placed with Lepidiolamprologus at the genus level. More about N. meeli can be found here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/neolamprologus_meeli_en/

For our customers: Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus has code 541602 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aulonocara “Rubescens”

25. January 2021

Do you know the game “Silent Mail”? You play it with at least 10 participants, the more, the better. One of the players thinks up a term and whispers it – inaudible to the others – into the ear of the player next to him. This whispers what he has understood to the next one, and so on. It is often very exhilarating what comes out at the end.

It sometimes goes similarly with ornamental fish names. Aulonocara “Rubescens” is a fantasy name, which is based on transmission errors. However, the fish is not a breeding form in the true sense, but only a selection breeding from wild animals, in this case from Aulonocara sp. “stuartgranti Maleri” from the population that lives near the island of Chidunga Rocks near Chipoka. Through continuous breeding with the most colorful animals, some of the fishes were very colorful. However, these are not really red, but rather orange. Nevertheless they became known as “Red Ruby”, which has nothing to do with the gemstone, but so – Rubin – was the first importer’s surname. At some point they were called “Rubescens”, which is Latin and means “blushing”. But this is not a scientific name.

We currently have very pretty offspring of the original “Rubescens” from Thailand in stock. 

For our customers: the animals have code 502932 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudotropheus sp. “Acei” White Tail Ngara

30. October 2020

Where does a species start, where does the location variant end? This question is really difficult to answer for some groups of fish, e.g. killies and cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. In the case of Pseudotropheus sp. “Acei” from Lake Malawi, the species is not described scientifically. Mostly the light blue, yellow-fin “Acei” from the area around Msuli is in trade at the moment. (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudotropheus-sp-acei-2/). But the “White Tail” from the area around Ngara has been swimming in the enthusiasts’ basins for a longer time, since about 30 years. It is very dark, often almost black, to which the white caudal fin and the other light-coloured fin elements contrast wonderfully.

Like all “Aceis”, the “White Tail” is a hardly aggressive animal; in nature swarms with thousands of individuals have been seen. This species does not form territories. In the lake the fish feed primarily on algae, which they graze on trees that have fallen into the water. In nature these cichlids grow to about 12 cm (males) and 10 cm (females) in length, but in the aquarium they can become considerably larger. One should not feed these fish with a high protein diet, then they will remain more graceful and more colourful.

Like all cichlids from Lake Malawi the “Acei” also requires a pH-value above 8; otherwise the care is completely problem-free. Whether you keep more males or more females or even just groups of males is ultimately a matter of taste. But less than 5 individuals should not be kept in the “Acei”, otherwise the species-specific behaviour will not come into effect.

For our customers: the animals have code 568362 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aulonocara maylandi

5. October 2020

The sulphur head aulonocara, Aulonocara maylandi, is one of the most peaceful species of Malawi cichlids. The species reaches a maximum length of 12 cm (male) and 10 cm (female). In the wild these fish only live in two reefs of the south-eastern Lake Malawi, namely Chimwalani Reef (formerly Eccles Reef) and Luwala Reef (formerly West Reef). It is feared that the species could be endangered because of its small distribution area and over-collecting. However, there are always offspring available in the trade which can be bought without hesitation.

The 5-7 cm long offsprings, which we have in stock, are just beginning to colour, but are already very pretty. In adult males the pale yellow of the pale blaze is not only pale yellow, but yolk yellow – hence “sulphur head” – and in the large anal fin of the males very numerous egg spots develop.

The aquarium set up for these beauties should represent the border between rock and sand zones, because this biotope is inhabited by the fish in nature. A. maylandi must not be accompanied with aggressive and hectic cichlids, they will perish in such company.

Aulonocara cichlids are carnivorous fish, which specifically look for worms, insect larvae, small crabs etc. They are helped in this task by the large sensory pits on the underside of their heads, which are so sensitive that they perceive the electrical impulses emanating from the muscle movement of a buried worm as if they had an ECG. 

The animals are mouth breeders in the female sex. They are most enjoyed when kept in a larger group of 3-4 males with 5-6 females. The aquarium should be rather dark, the pH should always be above 8. Regular and generous partial water changes and water temperatures between 22 and 26° ensure the fish feel well.

For our customers: the animals have code 502653 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Nimbochromis livingstonii

21. February 2020

The genus Nimbochromis is probably best known to aquarists through the “sleeper”, N. livingstonii. All Nimbochromis species have a camouflage pattern of irregular brown spots. N. livingstonii uses this to imitate a decaying fish, because fish carrion look very similarly spotted. So the sleeper lies on his side on the ground and plays dead fish. Unsuspecting young fish that want to eat from the carrion are thus attracted and land in the stomach of the sleeper.

The animal received the name “sleeper” from the fishermen of Lake Malawi, who were able to observe the unusual lying around of the perch, which grows to over 20 cm in length, through the often crystal clear water of the lake. The sleeper is found seawide, local forms are not known in the hobby. Among each other the animals are quite aggressive, therefore they should be kept in as large groups as possible and with (robust and sufficiently large!) accompanying fish, but not with other Nimbochromis species, as the animals can hybridize.

Very interesting is that each sleeper has an individual spot pattern, possibly this prevents the prey fish from adapting to a certain enemy image, which would reduce the hunting success. In other Lake Malawi cichlids the body pattern is usually so constant that it can be used as a species characteristic.

For our customers: the animals have code 530003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Tropheus duboisi

21. October 2019

Tropheus duboisi are the “somewhat different” Tropheus. While the remaining species of the genus Tropheus are hectic, in groups living, always quarreling swimmers, T. duboisi are at least in the nature rather singulary living fish, who are found occasionally also in pairs. They are clearly calmer and also considerably less aggressive than the other Tropheus. Adult animals are blue-black with a cream-colored or yellow, vertical bandage. The young are quite delightful and often let also non-cichlidiots become weak. They look like little goblins, pitch black with a white starry sky pattern. Like all Tropheus species, this one also originates from Lake Tanganyika.

For our customers: the animals have code 580502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lamprologus brevis Kapampa

7. October 2019

Many cichlids from Lake Tanganyika have different local populations that also look more or lress different. The snail cichlid Lamprologus brevis (sometimes also called Neolamprologus brevis, the species belongs neither to one nor to the other genus, but to a genus still to be described) has a lake wide distribution and therefore it has become common among cichlid lovers to indicate the location – in this case Kapampa at the western shore of the lake, quite far in the south of the DR Congo.

In L. brevis males and females live in the same snail. The females are clearly smaller and always swim into the house before the male. They have in the relation quite generally the trousers on, what they indicate through guidance-swimming and active courtship display.

For our customers: L. brevis Kapampa has code 542112 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Nimbochromis venustus

30. August 2019

The genus Nimbochromis is probably best known to the aquarists through the “sleeper”, N. livingstonii. All species of Nimbochromis have a Camouflage pattern from irregular, brown spots. N. livingstonii uses this to mimic a decomposing fish, because fish carrion looks very similarly patchy. So the sleeper lies on his side on the ground and plays dead fish. Unsuspecting young fish, who want to eat from the carrion, are attracted and end up in the stomach of the sleeper.

The beautiful giraffe cichlid (N. venustus) is also a predator and lurks for prey in a very similar way, but it does not lie on its side but only sinks to the ground and remains motionless here. It swims only an attack, if a prey comes into its immediate proximity.

With almost 25 cm of final-length, the giraffe cichlid belongs to the bigger cichlids from Lake Malawi, besides, it is one of the most aggressive. One can recommend it therefore only for really big aquariums where these characteristics don’t fall so much into the weight. Nimbochromis venustus is, like almost all cichlids from Lake Malawi, mouth-breeder in the female sex.

For our customers: the animals have code 534303 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Tropheus sp. “Phoenix”

28. June 2019

The cichlids of the genus Tropheus are widespread around the gigantic Lake Tanganyika in numerous locality-variants. The sometimes very different looking animals testify to rising and sinking water levels over the millennia. As strict Aufwuchs eaters, Tropheus cichlids are not able to migrate over larger sandy areas and so the stone reefs of the lake quickly become geographically isolated, resulting in different colour variations.

The Tropheus “Phoenix” is however not a naturally occurring form, but a breeding product. The bright blue eye and the golden yellow body colour are reminiscent of the population found near Namansi, Tanzania, on the eastern shore of the lake. They are very attractive fish, which we can offer in limited numbers at the moment.

For our customers: the animals have code 586303 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudotropheus sp. “Acei”

22. May 2019

It is hard to understand why such a well-defined and unique species has not yet been scientifically described, although the animals have been kept and bred in the aquarium for decades. And yet it is; “Acei” is a pure popular name and not a scientific name. The species can be found in several different coloured populations in Lake Malawi. In contrast to many other species of the Pseudotropheus relationship it is not a rock dweller (“Mbuna”), but the fish are specialized in sandy areas, where they are mainly found where trees or branches have fallen into the water near the shore. There these animals, which do not form any territories in nature, graze in troops (usually three to ten animals, but there are also populations which form swarms with several hundred individuals), the Aufwuchs from the branches. In the „Acei“ males and females are colored to a large extent equally. In the nature, these fish usually don’t become longer than 12 cm, rather rarely up to 14 cm (males) or 12 cm (females), in the aquarium, however, they can become almost 18 cm long because of the essentially more substantial food and the at least 3-4 times so long life span (compared with wild animals). 

In the hobby currently most widespread is the yellow finned local form, which occurs e.g. near Msuli; this is also the variant, which we currently have in the stock.

For our customers: the animals have code 568204 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Callochromis pleurospilus “Kigoma”

15. May 2019

This sand cichlid originates from Lake Tanganyika, where it is found almost all over the lake with the exception of the extreme south. Our animals are descendands from fish that were collected at Kigoma Bay; fully coloured males (unfortunately our quite young, 4-6 cm long animals do not show this yet) of this local variant are also called “rainbow callochromis” because they are so colourful. An invalid trade name for this form is “Callochromis greshakei”. The species becomes only rarely over 10 cm long and can therefore still be counted well among the dwarf cichlids. It inhabits shallow shore areas with sandy bottom and sprinkled stones. There, the animals live in big swarms. When in danger, these cichlids dig in itself – like a flounder – lying on the side. Only one eye remains uncovered by the sand. So the animal observes its surroundings, until the danger is past.

Callochromis pleurospilus are mouth breeders in the female sex. The females are silvery all their lives and have no markings in their fins.

For our customers: the animals have code 503562 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Haplochromis sp. “Thick Skin” (CH44)

3. May 2019

Unfortunately many Haplochromis-like cichlids of Lake Victoria are threatened by extinction due to profound environmental changes. The giant perch (Lates niloticus) introduced there, the turbidity of the water due to eutrophication and the resulting mass growth of the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are the best known causes. For this reason, a conservation breeding programme is being run for a number of species, in which numerous (unfortunately not enough) hobby aquarists are taking part.

One of the species that have been repeatedly imported from Lake Victoria since 1993 and are therefore also available in the hobby is the “Thick Skin”. There do exist several colour variations of this species, which can be assigned to geographical regions. The animals that we can offer at the moment correspond well to the animals of Kisumu (Kenya) and have few, quite wide vertical bandages on the flanks. 

H. sp. “Thick Skin” becomes sexually mature with 5-6 cm of length, however, the animals can become more than twice as big. Since they must be counted to the very aggressive species of the genus, big tanks and big groups, in which the aggression can distribute, are urgently to be advised. The number of females should predominate in the groups. 

Clear water with a pH value always clearly above 7 is the prerequisite for beautifully colored animals, which are not only beautiful to look at, but also give the keeper the nice feeling of doing something for species protection.

For our customers: the animals have code 532502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Neolamprologus marunguensis

8. January 2019

Currently we can once again offer the little blue-eyed sister of the Princess of Burundi: Neolamprologus marunguensis. The beautiful dwarf cichlid from Lake Tanganyika belongs to the problem-free ornamental fish. As with all princesses, one can frequently observe  multiple broods, with what the older siblings take part in keeping of the small young animals. Therefore, one should not maintain N. marunguensis in too small aquariums, although the fish becomes only approximately 6-7 cm long and is not a very active swimming animal, because observing this family life makes much joy, however, also requires some place.

For our customers: the animals have code 555252 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aulonocranus dewindti

28. December 2018

This interesting cichlid, the genus is monotypic with Aulonocanus dewindti, so currently only this one species is assigned to it, originates from Lake Tanganyika. The up to 14 cm long species is a mouth-breeder in the female sex and lives in the lake over sandy areas. Here the males dig pits in the sand, that serve as breeding sites. Not much has yet been written about the beautiful fish, presumably because they appear somewhat inconspicuously silvery in neutral coloration and therefore seem unattractive. They are a bit shy open water animals, but they also like to look for food on the ground. They peck into the sand in almost vertical posture. A. dewindti is best cared for in a group, in the wild they swim in schools of sometimes several hundred specimens. The sexes are easy to distinguish with sexually mature animals (from approx. 6-8 cm of length), the females have rounded fins, the males pointed.

For our customers: the animals have code 502984 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Telmatochromis vittatus

8. August 2018

Only comparatively rarely Telmatochromis vittatus from Lake Tanganyika can be found in the trade, despite the fact that this dwarf cichlid – it becomes only about 8.5 cm long – is perfectly suited for keeping and breeding in home aquaria. Maybe this is due to the fact that the fish look somewhat similar but not as brillant as Julidochromis species.

Keeping this fish is easy and can be compared with that of the several Lamprologus species. Like these, T. vittatus is a biparental cave brooder which is kept best by pair. Males become larger than females and develop a small hump on the head. The aquarists dedicted to T. vittatus like it very much due to the fact that this fish loves to feed on small snails. This led to the misleading popular name „Striped Snail Telmatochromis“. However, hobbyists think that a snail cichlid is a species that prefers to breed in empty snail shells; T. vittatus does not usually.

For our customers: the fish have code 576542 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Neolamprologus tetracanthus

13. June 2018

This species of cichlid from Lake Tanganyika lives in two different worlds. The fish attains a maximum length of about 20 cm; however, in the wild hardly ever specimens larger than 10-12 cm can be found. On the one hand this fish is a typical inhabitant of sandy areas. Here it feeds on small invertebrates. Most wanted are small snails, which are sucked out of their shells, but the species is not specialized at all and readily accepts all types of meat that fit the mouth.

On the other hand N. tetracanthus is a cave brooder and needs caves and crevices in rocks for that. Both sexes take very good care of eggs and youngsters and defend them aggressively.

This explains the sometimes very contradictory experiences aquarists make with that species in respect of aggressiveness. As long as the cichlids are not in breeding mood they are quite peaceful. It makes only little sense to defend territories on sand. But when the fish are in the mood for breeding they become pretty tough, because usually all potential breeding grounds in the rocky area are already housed by other fish.

For our customers: the fish have code 549501 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusiveyl supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Neolamprologus cylindricus

8. June 2018

Among the small species of cichlid from Lake Tanganyika Neolamprologus cylindricus is one of the prettiest. The very obvious ringed pattern makes it unmistakable. In respect of behaviour N. cylindricus is best comparable with the species of the genus Julidochromis. Like these N. cylindricus form fixed pairs (in large aquaria a male may pair with more than one female). The eggs are spawned in caves or crevices and both parents guard the eggs and the fry.

A very typical behaviour of that species is the „stone-surfing“. This means the fish try to stay with their belly as close to the rocky ground as possible.

For our customers: the fish have code 544903 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Sciaenochromis fryeri „Iceberg“

7. May 2018

Many species of rock-dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi – the so-called Mbuna – live on isolated places. These place are often many miles away from other suitable habitats. This geografic isolation leads comparatively fast to local colour morphs.

Other species of cichlid from Lake Malawi are not that much specialized and can live in a great variety of habitats. Consequently these species can be found all over the lake. Although even in these species some slight tendencies for local colour morphs are recognizable these differences are rather marginal. For example in Sciaenochromis fryeri: specimens collected in the south of the lake tend to have rather reddish anal fins while the conspecifics from the north have rather yellowish anal fins.

The sport „Iceberg“ has been bred by selection. The ancestors of the „Iceberg“ were individual mutants found near Maleri Island. This was more than 20 years ago. Nowadays the „Iceberg“ is among the most popular species of cichlid from lake Malawi. Currently we have very nice animals (6-8 cm long, which is almost half grown) in stock which are full in colour. However, only the dominant male has the ice-blue coloration all over the body, while in subdominant males this coloration is rather restricted to the forehead and the dorsal fin. This is quite interesting, for the initial intention to breed this fish was a simple aesthetic one; now it shows up that this coloration also serves for interspecific communication.

For our customers: the fish have code 574303 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Dimidiochromis compressiceps Albino

19. January 2018

There is no consensus among aquarists regarding albino sports. One part of the hobbyists find them awkward, the other part simply wonderful. Readers belonging to the first group: please accept our excuse, next week a different fish will be subject of the post again. For all the others: The Malawi-Eyebiter (Dimidiochromis compressiceps) has a bad reputation and a bad popular name. However, the „eyebiting behaviour“ has never been observed in the aquarium. So in fact this fish is a favorite aquarium inhabitant for decades already, most probably due to its unusual shape. But one should not keep these fish with young fish, except the younsters are brought in as feeder fish…

Against all other species of cichlid, which are too large to serve as food, D. compressiceps is comparatively peaceful – as most predators are. The Malawi-Eyebiter is not much territorial (except the breeding season) and so the species is very well suited for a community tank with other Malawi cichlids except the rock-dwelling Mbuna. The latter are too hectic for the calm predator which inhabits, by the way, preferrably the reed-zones with soft bottom along the shores of lake Malawi.

For our customers: the fish have code 520244 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Maylandia greshakei

10. November 2017

The zebra cichlids fro  Lake Malawi are very popular aquarium fishes. Among them is Maylandia greshakei, which looks very special due to its bright orange dorsal fin. In the wild – the fish is endemic to Lake Malawi – it is restricted to only two comparatively small areas, eg Crocdile Rocks and Makokola Reef, both in the southern part of the lake. This makes the species vulnerable for uncontrolled human activites. So collecting the fish for ornamental purposes is usually not allowed. All M. greshakei in the trade are bred ones.

Maylandia greshakei is sometimes also called Metriaclima greshakei. In the aquarium, this fish can attain a maximum length of about 15 cm. Such giants are never found in the natural habitat. This has two reasons. First of all a wild fish does not live long enough to grow so big. And second the food the fish get in the wild is very nutrient poor compared with almost all types of typical fish food for ornamental fish. The correct feeding is the key for beautiful and healthy Maylandia, for fat animals become drab and sick. The balance between good and varied nutrients and fibres is crucial. Correctly fed bred fish are as beautiful as wild collected ones.

As in all cichlids from lake Malawi the pH should never drop below 8. In all other respects of water the fish are undemanding. A lot of waterchanges are recommended to keep the fish fit and healthy and the fsih will show a maximum of coloration if kept that way.

For our customers: the fish have code 550962 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Otopharynx lithobates

11. September 2017

Today we took the photo equipment in our fishhouse (instead of taking fish from the fishhouse in the phototank), for here in one of our tanks a great show is presented: 50 sexually ripe (7-10 cm long) Otopharynx lithobates, more than half of them males in breeding mood. Wow.

In the natural habitat, males of this species inhabit caves. The bright head stripe is a distinctive feature for females passing the cave. For each females a courtship display is started immediately. In the home aquarium one must take care that females which are not willing to spawn can hide. In the wild they can easily swim away, but in the tank the males can become pretty nasty in cases not enough hiding places are provided for the females.

Otopharynx lithobates feeds on plankton in the wild and can be easily fed by a variety of usual ornamental fish food items. The pH must not sink below 8 in long time sight; otherwise these cichlids, like most cichlids from lake Malawi, are not much demanding and easy to care.

For our customers: the fish have code 556604 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Badis autumnum

21. August 2017

The number of species of chameleon fish has increased drastically in the past years. Until the year 2002 only one genus and ones species with four subspecies were accepted, now there are two genera (Badis and Dario) with 23 species in Badis and 6 in Dario. One of the latest described species is Badis autumnum, which was formally named only in 2015. It is called the „red spotted badis“ in the international trade. Like in all members of the genus Badis the fish can change the coloration very fast, thus the name chameleon fish.

There are three components in the pattern that allows the recognition of the species despite all colour changes: the broad band behind the eyes in combination with the lack of a so-called cleithral spot on the shoulder (present in most other species) and the tail spot that reminds one in a T lying on the side. Additionally the fish displays in most moods a red spot on most scales of the flank that give the fish a pretty attractive coloration. But – this is visible on one of the pictures that accompany this post – fish that are surpressed by a dominant conspecific can even be very pale, almost white. It is very fascinating to observe a tank with Badis and to try to understand the „language of fishes“ spoken in changing coloration.

Moreover, Badis autumnum is a energy saving fish. It originates from the north of India and needs no additional heater most of the year. Only for breeding the temperature should raised to 24-26°C, most of the year 18-22°C are enough and in winter temperatures can be even as low as 14-16°C. All species of chameleon fish avoid dried food, but frozen food is readily accepted and – of course – live food, too. Maximum size of the species is about 6 cm.

For our customers: the animals have code 367952 (md) and 367954 (xlg) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Dimidiochromis strigatus

23. June 2017

The genus Dimidiochromis comprises currently four accepted species. Only one of them, D. compressiceps, is found in the trade on a regular basis and has become an ornamental fish so far. D. strigatus can still be considered a rarity in the trade. We have the species stocked now for the first time, our fish are German bred ones.

All species of Dimidichromis are predators that feed in the wild almost exclusively on small fish. In the aquarium they feed readily on any usual fish food. These cichlids do not live in rocky shores, but among reed and underwater weeds like Vallisneria over soft bottom. These predators do not inhabit territories outside the breeding season and thus they can be considered as very peaceful fish as long as accompanying fish are too large to be eaten. One should never choose the always hectic and aggressive rock cichlids from Lake Malawi (Mbunas) as tankmates, for they would be a continous disturbance for the calm and cautious Dimidiochromis.

Dimidiochromis strigatus attains a maximum length of about 25 cm. As almost all cichlids from Lake Malawi it is female mouthbrooder. The species occurs not exclusively in Lake Malawi, but also in Lake Malombe and the River Shire that connects the two lakes.

For our customers: the fish have code 520252 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Altolamprologus calvus

7. April 2017

This cichlid belongs to the most attractive species of the family from Lake Tanganyika. It attains a maximum length of about 13 cm. Despite the lurky look the fish is one of the most peaceful species of cichlid at all. One can say as a rule: if another fish is too large to serve as food it will become simply ignored. And astonishing enough: although Altolamprologus calvus is for sure a predator in the wild it happily accepts even flake food in the aquarium…

 

For our customers: the fish have code 543303 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

 

Shell dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi: Maylandia cf. elegans LIKOMA

3. August 2016

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-mann

A good number of shell dwelling cichlids – this means that the fish use empty shells of freshwater snails for hiding and breeding – is known from Lake Tanganyka. Here mosty species related to Lamprologus have chosen that way oft life. This is not astonishing, for all these cichlids are cave-brooders. So empty shells of freshwater snails are a highly appreciated addition of breeding sites, which are always rare and fiercly contested in the wild.

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-mann-neutral

However, things are completely different in Lake Malawi. The cichlids living there belong to the Haplochromis relationship and are agamous (this means that they never form stable pairs) maternal mouthbrooders. Consequently there is no species of cichlid known from Lake Malawi that uses empty shell for breeding purposes.

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-mann-balz

Nevertheless shell dwelling cichlids are known from Lake Malawi. They belong to a small complex of closely related species that are not easy to distinguish from each other. We have one of them, Maylandia cf. elegans LIKOMA, currently in stock. Another name for that species in the hobby is Maylandia s. „Livingstonii Likoma“. This is a clear hint to the close relationship between these two species. And of course all species of Maylandia are occassionally placed in Metriaclima; both generic names are synonymous to each other.

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-mann-balz-portrait

The shell dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi use the empty shells exclusively as hiding places. In the natural habitat of the fish – mostly sandy areas – hiding places are scarce. If Maylandia cf. elegans LIKOMA is kept like „normal“ Mbuna cichlids in an aquarium with stones and other hoding places, they will not use empty snail shells. But in the wild they do not have an opportunity. So the adaption to a new resource enables Maylandia cf. elegans LIKOMA and its close relatives the improvement of a habitat that would offer no chance to survive for Mbuna cichlids otherwise. We can observe here a case of the process called „evolution“ by scientists happening right before our eyes. Isn´t that fascinating?

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-frau

568352-maylandia-elegans-likoma-frau-mit-brut

For our customers: the fish have code 568352 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Callochromis macrops

22. March 2016

Is
this a species of Geophagus from Lake Tanganyika? One can get these
thoughts when seeing Callochromis macrops the first time. However, this
mouthbrooding sand cichlids belong to the large
Haplochromis-relationship. The ability to change the coloration is
breathtaking in this species. The same individual that right now looked
silvery or blotched will become in a glimpse bright copper-red! The
maximum size reported for this species is about 12-14 cm, the
photographed specimens (the fish we have in stock currently, German bred
ones) are about 6-7 cm long.

For our customers: the fish have code 503502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Chalinochromis brichardi

19. January 2016

This
pretty cichlid from Lake Tanganyika is only very, very occasionally
found in the trade. This is hard to understand. Despite the fact that
the coloration is rather simple, the fish are quite conspicuous. Keeping
and breeding can be compared with the closely related genus
Julidochromis. Maximum size of Chalinochromis brichardi is about 12 cm.

For our customers: the fish have code 504302 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Labidochromis sp. Hongi “Sweden”

26. June 2015

We
received about 4 cm long bred specimens of this incredibly colourful
sport. These fish do not exist in the wild. The additional name “Sweden”
has been chosen, because it is said that in Sweden the food mix has
been discovered that brings the unbelievable colours on the fish.

For our customers: the animals have code 540902 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Copadichromis borleyi Kadango Red Fin

7. April 2015

Copadichromis borleyi is a species of cichlid that inhabits Lake Malawi. It is found there pretty widespread. Males obtain a maximum length of 18 cm, females stay smaller and become only 15 cm long. The addition “Kadango” to the scientific name refers to a place in the south-east of Lake Malawi.

Copadichromis are planctivorous fishes and feed readily on any type of usual fishfood. As most cichlids of Lake Malawi they are maternal mouthbrooders.

It is very interesting to observe the change of coloration in this species. Juveniles and females have a dark body and bright orange to red fins. When the males become sexually active they change the coloration drastically. At first they look a bit like Placidochromis electra, but what follows places them among the most colorful fish species in Lake Malawi at all as can be seen on the photos.

For our customers: the fish have code 514732 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 4 - 8

Labidochromis caeruleus WHITE

17. March 2015

Labidochromis
caeruleus is among the most popular cichlids from Lake Malawi. Usually a
bright yellow sport of that fish is available in the hobby. Only
comparatively recently a white sport of the fish appeared in the
ornamental fish trade. It is not an artificial sport, but a variety that
is found in the wild. The strange, pearl-white coloration makes this
cichlid an absolute enrichment for the assortment of small Malawian
cichlids. The white sport does not differ from the well known yellow
sport in respect of keeping and breeding.

For
our customers: the animals have code 540112 on our stocklist. Please
note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in
limited numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Neolamprologus pulcher

17. March 2015

Deep inside of even the straightest democrat seems to live a small royalist. How can it be explained otherways that extraordinary beautiful species of ornamental fish so often get royal popular names? The first Neolamprologus with a lunate tail fin with long filaments was imported around 1958. It very soon was called the “Princess of Burundi”.

The Princess is a very recommendable aquarium fish. The species stays small (maximum length around 10 cm), is comparably peaceful, does not destroy plants and displays a fantastic type of broodcare. The parents (both are involved) defend mainly the territory. If young fish survive they stay for quite a long time inside their parents´ territory. These youngster help to take care for their younger siblings. It is a fascinating look to observe such a school of fish of different ages.

There was some confusion about the correct scientific name of the species. In fact, three closely related species were known at the time from Lake Tanganyika: Neolamprologus savoryi, N. brichardi, and N. pulcher. They are so closely related that they were described only as subspecies of N. savoryi initially. Today we know that there does a good number of additional, similar species exists. The Princesses with a high degree of yellow colour belong to the species Neolaprologus pulcher. They can be quite easy told apart from the in all other respects extremely similar species N. brichardi by a broad yellow stripe under the eye. The high degree of yellow colour led to the additional popular name “daffodil” for that species.

Currently we have very nice German bred Neolamprologus pulcher in stock. In the wild, this species is restricted to a comparatively small area in the extreme south of Lake Tanganyika. The type locality is Kasanga on the southeastern coast, the place belongs to Tanzania.

For our customers: the fish have code 555303 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 6-8

Julidochromis marksmithi

26. January 2015

The cichlids of the genus Julidochromis are among the most popular species of cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. Until recently five different species have been recognized. All of them are kept and bred in home aquaria. These are J. dickfeldi, J. marlieri, J. ornatus, J. regani, and J. transcriptus. The most recently described species of those is J. dickfeldi, which has been described scientifically by Wolfgang Staeck in 1975.

For some time already a form of Julidochromis is known in the hobby under various names, because it was not possible to place it doubtless in a speces described already. It was thus named Julidochromis regani “Kipili”, J. ornatus “Kipili” or simply J. sp. “Kipili”. This form has now been described formally under the name of Julidochromis marksmithi. It differs from J. ornatus and J. dickfeldi inter alia by the presence of a dark stripe on the chin (lacking in both J. ornatus and J. dickfeldi) and from J. regani by the presence of only 2.5 longitudinal stripes (vs. 4 longitudinal stripes in J. regani).

The type locality of J. marksmithi is Kerenge Island at the Tanzanian coast of Lake Tanganyika. So far the species is known only from Kipili and the islands nearby (Mvuna Island, Ulwile Is., Kerenge Is., Nkondwe Is.), and the somewhat northern Cape Mpimbwe (Msalaba). Maximum length od the species is usually 8-9 cm, but there are also reports from literature which say that it may reach up to 12 cm.

Literature:
Burgess, W. E. (2014): Julidochromis marksmithi, A New Species of Julidochromis from the Tanzanian Coast of Lake Tanganyika.Tanganika MAGAZYN nr 15, grudzień 2014: 40 – 49

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred

Cynotilapia pulpican

15. September 2014

At the first glimpse Cynotilapia look very much alike the Malawi Zebras of the genus Maylandia In contrast to the zebras, in Cynotilapia the teeth are monoscupid (with two cusps in zebras). This difference is of more importance than one should think, for the zebras feed on Aufwuchs (eg the algae film on rocks etc. with all the containing microbiotics), whereas Cynotilapia feed on plankton (mainly small crustaceans), which is picked out of the water column. So the zebras and Cynotilapia differ very much in respect of their natural way of feeding.

On the other hand, Cynotilapia pulcipan can be kept in aquaria like any other Mbuna (Mbuna is the name for all the rock dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi). It is best to keep them in larger groups of 10 or more specimens. It is of little meaning how this group is composed in respect of the sexes. People who want to breed will prefer one male for a greater number of females, but people who like simply to watch the fish do best to keep more males than females. In the latter case will always be one or two dominant males in the tank that display their breathtaking colours!

Cynotilapia pulpican become 6-8 cm long in the wild, but, like all Mbuna, they grow bigger in the aquarium. But even old males will not grow larger than 10 cm, females always stay smaller. So C. pulcipan is one of the smallest species of Mbuna known so far.

For our customers: the fish have code 516752 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Cynotilapia: means “dog-Tilapia”; this refers to the uniscupid “canine” teeth, Tilapia is another genus of cichlid. pulpican:

Common name: Pseudotropheus “Kingsizei”, Likoma Blue Frost

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 6-8

Pseudotropheus crabro

21. July 2014

Pseudotropheus crabro Pseudotropheus crabro Pseudotropheus crabro Pseudotropheus crabro

The colorful mouthbrooders from Lake Malawi – the so called mbuna – belong to the most popular aquarium fish over decades already. They are also called the “coralfish of freshwater”, for – like their salty relatives – they unite splendid colours and a rather quarrelsome temper. The latter is due to the very restricted food in the wild – both in the coral reef and in Lake Malawi. The sparse food is defended heavily, even when there is no need for this behaviour anymore in the aquarium.

The wasp mouthbrooder (Pseudotropheus crabro) has found a very special resource of food. It lives in caves and cleans the large bagrid catfish from parasites. These bagrids are called Kampango all over the lake, the scientific name is Bagrus meridionalis. The large predators recognize the cleaner fish even in the darkness of the cave due to their contrasting yellow-black coloration. Dominant males of P. crabro become very dark, almost black. This says other males to stay away from him and gives a hearty welcome to all females.

For our customers: the fish has code 568252 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Pseudotropheus: means “false Tropheus”; Tropheus is another genus of cichlid. crabro: means “wasp”, according o the contrasting yellow-black coloration.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 4-5

Cyphotilapia frontosa “Black Widow”

5. November 2012

We received very nice specimens of this rare mutant of the Lake Tanganjika Humphead, which occured around the year 2004 for the first time. Our fish have a size of 7-8 cm.

For our customers: the animals have code 517243 on our stocklist. Please note that we esclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photo: Frank Schäfer

Pseudotropheus sp. Daktari

20. June 2012

We have beautiful, fully coloured German bred specimens of this splendid cichlid that originates from Lake Malawi in stock. Compared with other mbuna this species is quite peaceful. Moreover it is one of the smallest species of mbuna and becomes usually only 10 cm long.

For our customers: the fish have code 568263 on our stocklist.Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Eretmodus cyanostictus MOBA

4. April 2012

We have received a very limited number of wild collected specimens of this splendid cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. The colour variety from Moba (D. R. Congo) is one of the most beautiful sports of this species.

For our customers: the fish have code 520502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Teleogramma brichardi

9. November 2011

Currently we have a limited number of the very rare cichlid Teleogramma brichardi from the Congo in stock. For our customers: the fish have code 576303 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft D.R. Congo
Verfügbare Größe in cm 6-8

Tropheus sp. Yellow

27. September 2011

Tropheus sp. Yellow

Currently we have extreme beautiful Tropheus sp. “Yellow” in stock which already display bright colours when young!
For our customers: the fish have code 586302 on our stocklist. Please note that w exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Taiwan
Verfügbare Größe in cm 3-5

Gnathochromis permaxillaris arrived

25. March 2011

This week we received bred specimens of this very rare cichlid from Lake Tanganjika. A breeding report can be found at http://www.aqualog.de/news/web3/3-7.pdf

For our customers: the fish has code 520703 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Gnathochromis: ancient Greek, means “jaw-chromis”, referring to the very special mouth structure. Chromis is another genus of fish. permaxillaris: latin, means something about “jaw with a backback”, also referring o the mouth structure

Suggestion of a common name: Vacuum cleaner cichlid

Text: Frank Schäfer, photo: H. J. Mayland/Aqualog archieves

Lamprologus signatus

7. December 2010

This beautiful cichlid from Lake Tanganyika belongs to the dwarf cichlids. Males become around 5.5 cm, females around 3.5 cm long. At the first glimpse one would think that these tiny fish are “snail brooders”, e.g. that the females would spawn only in empty snail shells. However, this is not true. In their natural habitat these cichlids settle on muddy bottom. Here they dig tubes in the ground of about 1 cm diameter which can be up to 12 cm long. Although L. signatus accepts empty snail shells in the aquarium this is only an “emergency program”, which is used in case they have no other opportunity. In contrast to almost all other species of Lamprologus the eggs of L. signatus are not adhesive at all. This is a special adaption to their type of breeding, as there is no opportunity nor any benefit in attaching eggs in a mudhole.

Keeping Lamprologus signatus is very easy. The males are very aggressive against each other, so it is best to keep the fish by pair or one male with a number of females. Like all cichlids from Lake Tanganyika L. signatus prefers hard, slightly alcalic water and temperatures of about 25 to 28°C. In nature they feed on small animals, in the aquarium they accept readily any type of usual fishfood that fits the mouth.

For our customers: the fish have code 549401 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Lamprologus: means “the one that wears gloss”; refers to the shining spots on each scale of L. congoensis, the type species. signatus: Latin, means “the marked one”.

Suggestion of a common name: Tanganyika Zebra Dwarf Cichlid

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 3-5

Placidochromis sp. “Phenochilus Tanzania”

3. September 2010

The generic placement of the Malawian cichlids formerly lumped in the genus Haplochromis depend on their melanin pattern, eg the black markings in the basic coloration. Sadly the melanin pattern is not recognisable in the only existing type specimen of Haplochromis phenochilus, which was described in 1935; thus its correct generic placement remains unknown until today.

The extremely beautiful German bred fish we can offer now undoubtely belong to the genus Placidochromis and it is very likely that they belong to the species phenochilus. However, until this question is answered by a scientist it is better to use the term Placidochromis sp. “Phenochilus Tanzania” to put a name on the species.

Placidochromis sp. “Phenochilus Tanzania” is one of the most peaceful Malawian cichlids. It becomes about 17 cm long (males, females stay smaller). In the wild, this species belongs to the “followers”. This means, it swims along with very large, burrowing cichlids like Fossochromis or Taeniolethrinops and feeds on the small animals or other food items uncovered by the work of the large cousins. As this behaviour does not make it necessary to defend a territory it is possible for Placidochromis to live in harmony with congeneers and other fish.

One of the special features of the “Phenochilus Tanzania” is that males begin at an age of 1-2 year to develope withe scales. 4 year old males can be considered to be fully grown and coloured. They develope a small hump, similar to that found in Cyrtaca morii, but by far not as impressive as in this species.

Even the youngsters are extremely attractive as can be seen on the pictures. Due to the peaceful temper of these cichlids they must never be accompanied by mbuna-like fish, but only with other peaceful utaka or Aulonocara, for example.

For our customers: the fish have code 564701 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Placidochromis: Latin, means “calm Chromis”, referring to the swimming behaviour. The suffix -chromis is widely used for African perch-like fishes. It is an old fish name which is used in a scientific way nowadays for the damselfish, Chromis chromis from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic. phenochilus: ancient Greek, means “with shining lips”. Fossochromis: ancient Greek, means “burrowing Chromis”. Taeniolethrinops: ancient Greek, means “striped Lethrinops”. Lethrinops is another genus of cichlid. Haplochromis: ancient Greek, means “simple Chromis”.

Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: Frank Schäfer & Erwin Schraml

Neolamprologus meeli

13. November 2009

Among the snail-dwelling cichlids of Lake Tanganyika are some species that look very much alike and in some cases it remains still unclear whether the scientific name applied on them is correct or not.

Neolamprologus meeli has been described in 1948 by Max Poll from a place near Katibili which belongs to the Congolese part of the lake. The species is very similar to N. boulengeri and N. hecqui. The three species have in common the black borders of the fins.

There is a lot of discussion, if the species kept and bred in the hobby under the name of Neolamprologus or Lepidolamprologus meeli “Zambia” really belongs to that species or represents a colour variety of hecqui. However, it is of much more interest for aquarists that the fish is beautiful and a perfect tankmate for any Tanganyika aquarium.

Male become around 7 cm in length, females stay about 2 cm smaller. In this species mainly the females use the empty snail shell as a hiding place.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 5-7

Telmatochromis temporalis

1. October 2009

Snail-cichlids are a specialty of Lake Tanganyika. Of course also other places on earth exist where empty shells of snails are used by fish for hiding or breeding. But nowhere else than in Lake Tanganyika are so many specialized species.

In Lake Tanganyika real fields of empty snail-shells exist. Empty shells that lie here and there, more or less solitary, are settled by the specialized snail-cichlids, for example Lamprologus ocellatus and Co. But in places where the already mentioned fields of empty shells exist they are also used by species that are usually regular cave brooders.

Telmatochromis temporalis is a medium sized cichlid (10-12 cm) that settles along the whole lake. It is not very popular in the hobby, for it has a rather dull coloration and is quite robust in its behaviour. It is a typical cave brooder with a parental family. Interestingly the species has developed a dwarfish variety in areas where large snail-shell fields occur. This dwarf form becomes only 5-6 cm long. Currently this variety is considered to be conspecific with the normal form which is the reason for giving it the additional name “shell” in the hobby.

In contrast to the normal form this dwarf is highly demanded in the hobby, because its unusual shape brings a very interesting aspect in each community tank for tanganyika cichlids.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Nachzucht / bred
Verfügbare Größe in cm 5-6

Cynotilapia axelrodi

30. September 2009

Currently we have received beautiful C. axelrodi from a breeder. The animals are full in colour and about 4-6 cm long. Maximum length for this species is given around 9 cm.

Cynotilapia are typical mbuna cichlids. They differ from the closely related Maylandia (the zebras) by the dentition. Keeping is identical, which means they need ballast rich food and a high pH (over 7.5) to stay healthy. As they are like all mbuna cichlids highly territorial, it is necessary to keep them in groups. A try to keep them by pair usually ends with the violent death of the suppressed individual. Other mbuna cichlids fit also as tankmates and regulatives for the aggression.

In Lake Malawi, C. axelrodi is restricted to small areas (Nkhata Bay and Chirombo Point).

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lexicon: Cynotilapia: means “dog-Tilapia”, which refers to the dentition. Axelrodi: dedicated to Herbert Axelrod. Maylandia: dedicated to Hans J. Mayland.

Eretmodus cyanostictus “Makombe”

25. February 2009

Actually we can offer very pretty Tanganyika Clowns, Eretmodus cyanostictus, from Makombe. Like so many other cichlids from the lake they have developed a lot of different geographical varieties.

Eretmodus are highly specialized fishes. In the wild they live in the very shallow water of the shore. Here, in the surf, they feed on aufwuchs. This means that they have a very long gut that enables them to digest this poor food. In the aquarium it is often a fatal mistake to feed them fat and protein rich food. The Clowns need also relatively high temperatures (around 28°C) and they love a heavy current.

Tanganyika Clowns have a reduced swimming bladder and are therefore unable to float in the water column. As they are somewhat quarrelsome it is best to keep them in pairs. Females usually stay smaller than the males. In the aquarium Tanganyika Clowns often form stable couples. They are biparental mouthbrooders. Male and female change eggs and fry from mouth to mouth. This makes a high degree of synchronizity necessary and that is the reason why Eretmodus are not often in the mood for changing their partners.

Text and photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Tanganjikasee / Lake Tanganyika
Verfügbare Größe in cm 6-8

Altolamprologus compressiceps

6. July 2007

Altolamprologus compressiceps

From the shores of lake Tanganjika orgins (Alto)lamprologus compressiceps. There the about 13 cm long getting fishhunter inhabits the detrital zone, which it roams on search for food. When a prey is seen it approaches in slow motion, near the booty it speeds up and catches the victim. Because of its strong lateral flattening it succeeds penetrating in crevices and lays there on the look-out. In the aquarium they are characterised by a low aggression against tank mates. Clearly smaller co-inhabitants however are regarded as prey. The sexes are only difficult to differentiate, there is no pronounced sexual dimorphismn. Important for a succesful maintenance is a good water quality, since they react very sensitively to an increased water load. As cavespawners they rear up to 180 slowly growing offspring.

(Photo F. Schäfer, Text K. Diehl)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Tanganjika See
Lateinischer NameLateinischer Name Altolamprologus compressiceps

Ctenochromis polli

6. July 2007

Ctenochromis polli occurring in the Congo River belongs to the rather rarely kept cichlids. Despite their body length of maximally 11cm they should not be kept in too small aquariums (100cm). The males are quite aggressive and pursue the females and suppressed males. They need sufficient hiding places, therefore the interior arrangement of the aquarium should be strongly arranged by roots, stones and large plants. The animals prefer life food and frosted food, after successful acclimatisation they will take flake and/or granulated food too. These fish prefer temperatures between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. They are delayed mouthbreeders in the female sex. The raising of the brood with Artemia Naupliae and small flake food does not represent large problems.

(Photo: Erwin Schraml, Text: Klaus Diehl)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Congo, Unterlauf des Kongo
Lateinischer NameLateinischer Name Ctenochromis polli

Cyphotilapia frontosa var. „DARK BLUE HORIZON“

6. July 2007

March 2005:New on our list and absolutely rare: Cyphotilapia frontosa var. “DARK BLUE HORIZON”. We are proud to present these only in extremely small number existing variant of the well-known Cyphotilapia frontosa. Beside the remarkable longitudinal striation the animals are characterised by a very intensive blue. Since so far only very, very few animals are held, these fish should acquire only responsible “professionals”. The world-wide population increase lies for the moment with 10 fish per year!

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Tanganjika See

Eretmodus cyanostictus „Kigoma“

6. July 2007

Eretmodus cyanostictus „Kigoma“

Eretmodus cyanostictus is among the group of cichlids called gobies. Gobies only occur naturally in the surge habitat of Lake Tanganjika, which is the upper meter of the water at the shoreline. They unique in that their swim bladder is non-functional, meaning that when they’re not swimming, they drop to the bottom like a rock. E. cyanostictus is an algae-scraping cichlid that has a uniquely interesting spawning behavior – it’s a bi-parental mouthbrooder. Gobies are best kept as pairs. It’s possible to keep more than one pair in the same tank, but realize they can be quite pugnacious to one another. A single pair can be kept in a tank as small as 40 gallons, but two pairs should be housed in a tank no smaller than 75 gallons. Gobies in general can be quite nasty to each other, but once pairs form, “the fight is over.” Males and females will form a pair-bond that lasts for life. The food of choice for E. cyanostictus is a good Spirulina flake. Mysis and Cyclops make good supplementary foods. Suitable tankmates include other algae-eating tanganyikans, such as Tropheus and Simnochromis species.

(Photo F. Schäfer, Text K. Diehl)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Tanganjika See

Haplochromis sp. Mburo Blacky

6. July 2007

Haplochromis sp. Mburo Blacky

The “Mburo Blacky” is coming from Lake Mburo in Uganda. This species is undescribed until now and grows up to 12cm. It does not dig and do not eat plants, but it is rather agressive and therefor those fish need bigger tanks (1 meter in length and up) in which they can find places to hide. The temperature should be around 22° and 28°C and all other water parameters could be changeable. This means in general that this item is not very choosy. You can get the first bred ones from Aquarium Glaser.(Photo & Text E. Schraml)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Uganda

Lamprologus callipterus ALBINO

6. July 2007

Lamprologus callipterus ALBINO

August 2004: Now available: Lamprologus callipterus ALBINO. After several years, one of our breeder was successful in breeding this species. We have this fish for the first time in stock. You will find here more details soon.(Photo F. Schäfer, Text K. Diehl)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Zuchtform