From the currents of the Congo River originates Steatocranus casuarius commonly known as the blockhead or buffalo cichlid. This is how the fish developed its unusual swimming style, because of the fast water current, it has an under-developed swim bladder and swims in a ‘jerky’ movement, much like a goby. The males can get 10 – 12 cm large, the females remain with 8 cm smaller. The fatty lump on the males head grows with age and health; also it can get larger around spawning time. Intraspecific they are quite aggressive, so that for their care a larger aquarium (starting from 100 cm) is needed. Because of their fast flowing water habitat they have a big oxygen demand, and in addition they do not stand bad water hygiene. In the case of good filtering and good feeding, sooner or later they will go for reproduction. Since they are cave spawners with an intensive brood care, interesting observations on their behaviour can be made, even in community tanks.
(Photo F. Schäfer, Text K. Diehl)
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Congo, Congo River |