This fish aggressively defends its fry, to the point of pushing cohabitants into the corners. It is best kept either in a species tank, or with established robust Lamprologines or a large school of Cyprichromis. In the wild they congregate in large schools, usually several hundred individuals large. They dine on small crustaceans, insect larvae and plankton in the wild. They will readily eat flakes and pellets, but will thrive with the addition of mysis shrimp, krill or brine shrimp added to this diet.
Habitat: This is the primary location where the cichlid is found and is a generalization. This does not mean a fish cannot be found in other habitats. |
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Diet: Many cichlids specialize in eating one type of food; notwithstanding, some of these specialized feeders are flexible and can be opportunistic feeders. |
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Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tankmates that are of a different species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to various factors, including aquarium size, tankmates of similar appearance, stocking levels, and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens. |
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Conspecific Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tank- mates of the same species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to such factors as aquarium size, stocking levels and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens. |
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Maximum Size: This is in regards to total length (including the tail) of typical aquarium specimens. Wild specimens may not attain this size, or may in fact grow larger than aquarium raised individuals due to various factors. Also consider that this is the typical maximum size and there are exceptional individuals that will exceed it. |
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Difficulty: This measure is a relative value, comparing a single species against all other cichlids. This only accounts for maintanence in the aquarium and not breeding considerations. 1 = easy and forgiving, 5 = extremely challenging. |