NSW Cichlid Society - Fishkeeping

The NSW Cichlid Society

Fishkeeping

Scientific Name Aulonocara sp. "walteri"
Common Name Walteri Peacock
Geographic Origin Rocky regions of Lake Malawi
Size: 4" - 6" (10 - 15 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Females are brownish, males have a bright blue, almost purplish face. The body is blue along the sides with yellow on the shoulders and running along the back into the dorsal fin. Anal and caudal fins have yellow fringes.
Behaviour: Not overly aggressive. Mouthbrooders.
Water quality: 24° - 27°C; pH 7.5 -8.5. Hardness typical for Lake Malawi fish tanks.
Preferred diet: Will eat just about anything. A balanced diet with some of vegetable matter and the occasional life food treat will help your fish thrive.
Care/Breeding: These fish are usually good cichlid community fish. They may at times (during breeding) become more territorial, displaying aggression especially towards conspecifics. Kept in colonies with two males and several females and you will have a lot of pleasure out of breeding them successfully.

A word of caution. Do not keep different species of Aulonocara in one aquarium if you are planning to breed them. They will interbreed, resulting in undesirable (unnatural) hybrids.

Scientific Name Geophagus braziliensis
Common Name Mother-of-Pearl Eartheater
Geographic Origin Coastal rivers of south-eastern Brazil and Uruguay
Size: Males up to 10" (25 cm), females 5" to 6" (12.5 - 15 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: G. braziliensis are a truly spectacular species. It got its common name from the fact, that every scale on the body is marked by a blue, green or silver spot placed on a base colour ranging from brown to mahogany or even red. Unpaired fins are dotted or striped with hyaline stripes. These fish are quite easy to sex even at a young age, because they are sexually precocious, mature male develop a quite pronounced nuchal hump, which the females lack.
Behaviour: Exclusive substrate spawners, laying several hundred eggs. Usually they are very attentive parents.
Water quality: Their origin from coastal river suggest that they prefer hard, alkaline water. Being a subtropical fish, they are able to withstand temperatures of 10°C (50°F), but they prefer slightly warmer water and tolerate typical tropical tank temperatures quite well.
Preferred diet: These fish are omnivores, in the aquarium they appreciate quality fish food supplemented with life food.
Care/Breeding: This is the perfect beginner's fish, that also holds fascination for the advanced cichlid keeper. It is spectacular to look at, breeds readily and prolifically and is a hardy fish to keep. The fry are best fed on baby brine shrimp and will grow rapidly.

Scientific Name Haplochromis nyererei
Common Name Flameback Cichlid
Geographic Origin Rocky coasts of Lake Victoria
Size:
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Females are basically greyish-brown with greenish-yellowish reflection. Males are black on the lower side of the body with dark and yellowish-greenish vertical bands on the sides, the dark barring extends into the head. The forehead and back above the lateral line are intensely red (hence the name Flameback). Dorsal fins are red with powder blue, ventral fins are black, anal fins with egg spots, caudal fin with red edges.
Behaviour: Spawns freely in captivity.
Water quality: 78°F; pH 7.5 to 8.5; thrive best in clean water - keep up those water changes.
Preferred diet: in the wild they scrape algae of the rocks in their habitat. In captivity they will except any quality fish food and also appreciate life food.
Care/Breeding: Hardy, beautiful, but aggressive fish, that are best kept in larger tanks.

Scientific Name Microgeophagus ramirezi
Common Name Ram or Butterfly Dwarf Cichlid
Geographic Origin West of the Orinoco, in Venezuela and Colombia
Size: 2 3/4" (7 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Very colourful little fish with lots of blue sparkling dots in fins and body, a vertical dark band across the eye and black on the first rays of the dorsal fin. Several colour varieties are available. Juvenile fish are difficult to sex. Adult females have a rosy belly. The foremost rays of the dorsal fin are elongated in adult males.
Behaviour: Very shy and peaceful fish. Pair-forming. Loves a densely planted tank. Substrate spawner.
Water quality: 24° - 29°C(75° to 84°F); pH: just on the acidic side of neutral, for breeding 6.5; hardness: up to 10°dH, for breeding 4° - 6°dH.
Preferred diet: Loves life food (mosquito wrigglers etc. Will eat any prepared aquarium food.
Care/breeding: Filtration with peat helps in the reduction of hardness. Open water brooders. Love to spawn in small pits or on small stones.
If you are planning to keep this species in a community tank, be careful to select only species with a similar temperament. These cichlids are easily spooked.

Scientific Name Neolamprologus pulcher
Common Name Daffodil Brichardi
Geographic Origin Lake Tanganyika
Size: Up to 4" (10 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Elegant, slender fish with long tapered points on the dorsal and tail fins. Beige with yellow markings, especially on the unpaired fins. Even adult fish are difficult to sex. Males tend to be larger and the tapered ends of their fins longer.
Behaviour: Very territorial, however, size of the territory is relatively small. Secretive brooders with spawns of up to 150 eggs. Older fry are tolerated in the parents territory and will even help look after the younger fry.
Water quality: 23° - 27°C (76° - 82°F); pH above 7.5; hardness 12° dH or harder.
Preferred diet: Quality aquarium food and life food. Artemia nauplii are the perfect food for fry.
Care/breeding: You can keep several fish in a community tank, providing there are enough hiding places or as single pairs. They prefer a sandy bottom and don't interfere with plants.

Scientific Name Pseudotropheus greshakei
Common Name None
Geographic Origin Reefs south of Boadzulu Island in the southern tip of Lake Malawi
Size: 3.5" - 6" (9 - 15 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Males are powder blue with an orange dorsal fin and orange on the tip of the tail fin, females are more of subdued bluish-grey-brown.
Behaviour: Typical Mbuna (rockfish), they build their nests in caves. Mouth brooders. Females brood for about 3 weeks.
Water quality: 76° -78°F; pH: around 8. Lake Malawi water conditions typical for the aquarium.
Preferred diet: Quality aquarium food, flake, live food, fresh vegetables.
Care/breeding: Hardy and easily maintained in aquariums.

Scientific Name Pseudotropheus hajomaylandi or Maylandia hajomaylandi
Common Name None
Geographic Origin Chizumulu Island, north-eastern side of Lake Malawi
Size: Maximum length of 3.5 - 6" (9 - 15 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Females have a nice yellow colouration without any markings, the males are also strongly coloured in yellow with blue along the body and yellow-brownish vertical barring.
Behaviour: Males are aggressive when breeding, keeping intruders out of their territory. Mouthbrooders. Females will brood for about a month.
Water quality:76° - 78°F; pH: around 8. Lake Malawi water conditions typical for the aquarium.
Preferred diet: Plankton feeder. Will eat any prepared aquarium food.
Care/breeding: Hardy and easily maintained in the aquarium

Scientific Name Pseudotropheus lombardoi
Common Name Lombardi
Geographic Origin Mbenji Island and Nkhomo Reef on the north-eastern side of Lake Malawi
Size: About 3.5" - 6" (9 - 15 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Dominant males are coloured in a spectacular yellow. Subdominant males often are duller and show dark bars. Females are powder blue with dark blue bars.
Behaviour: Dominant males are extremely territorial. These fish are best kept with lots of caves to provide hiding spots. Mouthbrooders, female will hold around 50 eggs.
Water quality:24° - 28°C; pH around 8.
Preferred diet: In the lake these fish live of algae and small organisms hiding in the algae beds. In the aquarium they can be fed with any quality fish food, they also love life food.
Care/breeding: Hardy fish that will thrive in most water conditions. These fish should be kept in a one-species tank (with one male and several females) or in a heavily stocked aquarium, where aggression can be spread.

Scientific Name Pseudotropheus saulosi
Common Name none
Geographic Origin Endemic to Taiwan Reef north of Chizimulu Island, at the north-eastern side of Lake Malawi
Size: Maximum length of 3" (7.5 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Females are beautifully orange yellow, males are blue with dark bars. Juvenile fish are just as brightly coloured as the females. Truly a spectacular species.
Behaviour: Males are aggressive when breeding, chasing their competitors mercilessly. Mouthbrooders. In the aquarium often swimming in the open, rather than hiding in caves. However, they feel more comfortable spawning in caves.
Water quality: around 27°C; pH: around 8. Lake Malawi water conditions typical for the aquarium.
Preferred diet: In the wild these fish are algae eater. In the aquarium they will accept any vegetable based quality fish food, supplement with adult shrimp.
Care/breeding: Spawns of up to 25 young. Best kept in colonies with one male and several females.

Scientific Name Steatocranus casuarius
Common Name Lionhead Cichlid
Geographic Origin Lower Congo River, Zaire, West Africa
Size: Males 4.5" (11.5 cm), females 3" (7.5 cm)
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Moderately elongate body, develops a pronounced hump on the forehead. Yellowish-brownish colouration, with light and dark blotches and/or bars, the scales are darkish brown in the centre and lighter around the edges. Pronounced size difference between males and females (who usually reach barely half the size of the male).
Behaviour: Not a very active fish, likes to sit on the bottom (due to an underdeveloped swim bladder). Pair-forming secretive cave spawners. Become aggressive towards other tank inhabitants when brooding. Older fry are tolerated in the parents territory and will even help look after the younger fry.
Water quality: 24° - 28°C (75° - 82°F). pH: 6.5 - 7.5. Because they hail from strongly flowing rivers, they are less tolerant of poor water conditions than many other species kept in captivity.
Preferred diet: Quality flake food, shrimp, etc.
Care/breeding: Keep your aquarium clean, they will thank you for it. These fish can be quarrelsome at times. They form pairs for life.

Scientific Name Tropheops "red cheek"
Common Name Red-face Mac
Geographic Origin Likoma Island and Chizumulu Island, and along the north-eastern shores of Lake Malawi
Appearance / sexual dimorphism: Males are predominantly blue with yellow-orange markings on the sides of the head and gill covers, also shows dark vertical bars along the body. Females are a drab pinkish peach colour.
Behaviour: Males in breeding mood are territorial and aggressive and will defend the upper surface of rocks as spawning sites. Spawning takes place alongside a rock. Females are usually solitary and may be aggressive to other females of the same species.
Water quality: 24° - 18°C; pH 7.5 - 8.5; Carbonate hardness: 8° - 12° dH, General hardness: 12° - 15° dH.
Preferred diet: In the wild, it picks strands of algae of the rocks. Will accept any quality aquarium food, supplemented with vegetables and life food.
Care/Breeding: Because of their tendency to aggression towards others of their species, these fish should be kept in pairs and should be given ample space (minimum size 150 l).