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Cichlids
/ Africa / Lake Tanganyika / Tanganyika Clown
Striped Clown Goby, Striped Goby Cichlid, Tanganyika Clown
Eretmodus cyanostictus | Pictures
Synonyms: None
Physical description:
A fish with a elongated body and a steep-sloping forehead.
The inferior mouth is overshot.
This
arrangement makes the Striped Goby Cichlid look like it has a large nose.
The eyes are located high-up on the
head which is beige to light brown.
This fish likes to rest on its pelvic fins.
The body coloring is gray to light brown
to even black.
Six to seven yellow to white transverse stripes can be found on the body.
Often a large number of small, iridescent
blue spots also cover the body.
The fins are gray.
Size/Length: To 3.3" (8.5 cm)
Similar species: Tanganicodus
irsacae
Habitat: Eastern Africa; found on the pebbly bottoms of Lake Tanganyika shore areas.
S: bottom
Aquarium: 36" (91 cm) or 35 gallons (132 L).
The substrate should be fine gravel
and sand.
Use rock structures in the background that include caves and crevices.
Hiding places are important.
Provide
good aeration and filtration.
Water chemistry: pH 7.5-9.0 (8.2), 12-22 dH (18), 75-81°F (24-27°C)
Social behavior: This fish is territorial towards it own species when not paired up.
Once a pair forms, the fish are non-aggressive
towards each other.
The Striped Goby cichlid can be kept in a community tank with fish of the upper swimming
levels.
Keep this fish singly, or in pairs.
Suggested companions: Lake Tanganyika cichlids,
Synodontis, Aulonocara, Lamprichthys, Afromastacembelus
, Rainbowfish.
FOOD: Algae; nutritious live foods; black mosquito larvae, crustaceans; tablets.
Sexual differences: Very difficult to distinguish with young fish.
The male has egg-spots on his anal fin,
has a longer pelvic fin, and reaches a larger size.
Breeding techniques: Use water with a pH of 8.8-9.0, with a hardness from 14-20 dH, and a hardness from 79-82°F
(26-28°C).
As many as 25 eggs are laid on a rock.
These are fertilized by the male and then taken
into the mouth of the female's mouth.
This species forms strong pairs and both parents take turns mouth brooding
the eggs.
The fry are carried in their mouths for 21 days, when they are released.
The fry remain hidden most of the time.
Feed
the young in the evening with Artemia
and dry foods that reach the bottom.
The slow-growing fry are difficult to raise.
Breeding potential: 9.
Breeding is very difficult.
Remarks: These bi-parental mouthbrooders form long-term bonds, a practice that is unusual for
mouthbrooders.
Needs weekly water changes to prosper.
This fish swims by "hoping" along the
bottom.
Difficulty of care: 6.
A delicate, but amusing species that does well in a Lake Tanganyika community tank.
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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