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Cichlids
/ Africa / Lake Tanganyika / Black-finned Slender Cichlid
Black-finned Slender Cichlid
Cyprichromis leptosoma | Pictures
Synonyms: Limnochromis
leptosoma, Paratilapia leptosoma
Physical description: An slender, elongated fish.
The head is muddy-yellow to bright yellow.
This yellow color quickly becomes a
deep violet blue to indigo blue.
The anal and dorsal fins can be deep violet blue, while the pelvic fins is usually white
with the lower part being bright yellow.
The caudal fin is yellow or indigo blue depending on the morph.
Size/Length: To 5.5" (14 cm)
Similar species: Other Cyprichromis
species.
Habitat: Eastern Africa, an open water swimmer usually found above a rocky biotope in the southern
part of Lake Malawi
S: middle, top
Aquarium: 40" (101 cm) or 45-55 gallons (170-209 L) is sufficient for a small number of
4" (10 cm) fish.
The fish of the genus
Cyprichromis like a great deal of open swimming
area, so a tank of at least 56" (142 cm) or 75-100 gallons (285-378 L).
Cover the tank as this fish will jump,
especially during courtship.
Water chemistry: pH 7.5-9.0 (8.0), 10-20 dH (15), 75-81°F (24-27°C).
Social behavior: An active schooling fish that swims in the upper strata.
Peaceful, this fish can be kept with
many other Tanganyika cichlids.
A large school of six to ten fish is a fine set-up.
In a school, there should be more females
than males.
Suggested companions: Lake Tanganyika cichlids,
Synodontis, Aulonocara, Lamprichthys, Afromastacembelus
FOOD: Live; flying insects, insect larvae, aquatic insects, crustaceans; flakes; pellets.
Be
sure to give this fish a balanced diet including nutritious live foods.
Sexual differences: Males are considerably more colorful.
Breeding techniques: Courtship takes place just below the surface.
The fish are open water spawners.
As
each egg is dropped, the female gives chase and takes it into her mouth.
The eggs are incubated for a period
of three weeks.
Their progress can often be observed through the female's transparent throat sac.
The
young leave the mother's mouth and head to the surface where they can be fed on
Artemia,
Cyclops nauplii,
Daphnia, and crushed flake foods.
The
mother does not participate in broods care after the young are released.
Breeding potential: 7.
Breeding is fairly difficult.
Remarks: A lack of nutritious foods and variety in their diet can lead to disease and blindness.
Make
frequent partial water changes.
Difficulty of care: 5.
A peaceful fish that is sensitive to water pollutants.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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