Tanganyika cichlids. What does a person, or rather an aquarist, imagine by this term? Someone a tiny shell dweller, someone a Julidochromis and someone a big “frontosis”. In this album I would like to introduce you to a few Tanganyikan cichlids, so that you can get an idea of the wide variety of Cichlidae that live in this lake. It won’t be a comprehensive view – if we imagine that there are 200 species of cichlids living in Lake Tanganyika (or Tanganyika), it’s not even possible. But as an illustration of the diversity, I guess it will suffice.
Cyphotilapia frontosa “Kigoma”
Found in the northern part of the lake, this cichlid is a majestic fish that grows to a respectable size. Some sources put it at 30 cm, some up to 50 cm, which is quite a size by aquarium standards. An aquarium for these cichlids should have a minimum volume of 500 litres. It is suitable for classic tanganic water: temperature 25 to 27 °C, hardness 8 to 12 °dGH, pH should be around 8. Due to its size, this cichlid is not very aggressive to mild. It should be fed with food appropriate to its size. It will gratefully devour snappers, cyclops, small fish, but also pasta or plant food – spinach.
Cyphotilapia frontosa “Zaire blue”
As you have probably noticed, we have two photos of “frontosas” here, even two names. These are common natural forms of particular species of East African cichlids. Mostly the names of the locality where the cichlid was caught are used; when the locality is unknown, the commercial name is used, most often after a distinctive feature in the coloration. Alternatively, these terms may be combined, as in this case. I cannot fail to mention the taxonomic problem with the genus Cyphotilapia, even though only three species are described. The oldest species is C. demeusii (Boulenger, 1899) with a length of only 13 cm, the next species is our C. frontosa (Boulenger, 1906), and the last is C. gibberosa Takahashi & Nakaya, 2003, which, however, according to the description, grows only to 23 cm, which seems to me rather small for a “frontosa” widespread in aquaria.
Ophthalmotilapia ventralis
This cichlid occurs for a change in the southern part of the lake, growing to 15 cm. It stays in places where there is sand between the stones, most often at a depth of 10 to 15 m. There are no problems with feeding these fish, the most important thing is the variety of the diet they are fed. The water parameters are the same as for the previous species, not forgetting strong filtration and regular replacement of at least one third of the water. The genus Ophthalmotilapia is a classical snout-fin, i.e. it rears its young in the snout.
Xenotilapia papilio “Kantalamba”
This cichlid grows to only 7 cm, is one of the few that is not endemic to the lake, but is found in other localities. Apart from the breeding season, the fish reside in schools. Species of this genus can also be kept in smaller aquariums, from 200 litres, but care must be taken when choosing the community, as despite their size they can be very aggressive, especially to fish of other species. It accepts any food of suitable size: live, frozen, vegetable and various substitutes and artificial foods. As with all fish, not just cichlids, variety of food is important.
Xenotilapia bathyphila “Kekese”
Another beautiful species of this genus, unlike the previous one it is an endemic species, growing up to 10 cm. It behaves in the same way as the previous species. In their natural habitat, these cichlids reside in areas covered with a continuous layer of sand, hence the name “sand cichlids”. Another interesting feature of the genus Xenotilapia is that in the first stage the young fish are carried in the snout by the female and after about 8 to 12 days the male takes over.
Species of the genus Xenotilapia are still very rare among aquarists, but because of their size, beautiful pastel soft colours and interesting breeding method, I hope this will soon change.
Julidochromis transcriptus
The next genus Julidochromis includes a total of 9 species. They are smaller, 6 to 12 cm long cichlids that lay their eggs in the substrate on the bottom. The species J. transcriptus grows to only 6 to 7 cm. They are pair-living fish. Their productivity is not very high, only laying around 30 to 40 eggs. They are not demanding for food.
We also know that the selection of individual species is very important in cichlid farming. We may have to completely change our original breeding intentions for the sake of just one cocky male J. transcriptus, which will terrorise the whole aquarium crew.
Neolamprologus brichardi
Another representative of the Tanganyikan cichlids is our old familiar genus Neolamprologus, but this time it is not a shell dweller, but a representative of the species laying its eggs on the rocks and ceilings of caves. The water it requires is classic tanganic, we have to be careful about the pH, it should not fall below 7,5, it is best to keep the pH at 8. The eggs are well cared for by both parents, so we can also try to raise them in a community tanganic tank. In our aquarium shops we can buy them under the popular name “princesses”.
Tropheus duboisi
I have saved the candy for last in the form of species of the genus Tropheus. We will definitely pay more attention to them in the future, but when we think of tanganic cichlids, we can’t forget about these fish! They are simply the kings of Tanganyika. The two most commonly kept species are Tropheus duboisi and Tropheus moorii in a plethora of colour variations. Sometimes we would question whether they are the same species, such are the colour differences. All “tropheus” must be kept in groups. The dominant male claims a relatively large territory, we have to adjust the size of the aquarium accordingly. The number of females and young males is not very important from a territorial point of view. One of the most important factors for the life of tropheus is what food we feed them.
Tropheus require a significant proportion of plant matter in their diet. In nature they consume large quantities of food during the day, but with little caloric value. We adjust our feeding accordingly, feeding young fish in small doses several times a day, adult older fish only once a day. We should avoid feeding food caught from the wild, as it is often the case that fish become infected and ill. Therefore, we feed only safe food: frozen, dried, high quality artificial food produced especially for this genus.
Tropheus are particularly keen on the cleanliness and quality of the water, so we pay close attention to this. I recommend that only experienced aquarists keep Tropheus.