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Cichlids
/ Africa / Lake Malawi / Mbuna / Eduard's Mbuna
Eduard's Mbuna
Pseudotropheus socolofi | Pictures
Synonyms: Pseudotropheus
pindani
Physical description:
P. socolofi has a "typical" mbuna shape.
The
coloring of the fish is golden yellow or pale blue to dark blue.
On the blue morph, faint bands can sometimes
be seen.
Usually the blue variant is marked with a black ridge along the upper part of the dorsal fin and
a black band on the first rays of the anal fin.
The yellow morphs are usually not marked.
Size/Length: Males to 4.7" (11 cm), females to 4" (10 cm)
Similar species: Barlow's Mbuna (
P. barlowi), Zebra Mbuna (
P. zebra)
Habitat: Eastern Africa; found on the eastern coast of Lake Malawi and around the Likoma Islands.
S: All
Aquarium: 40" (100 cm) or 40 gallons (150 L).
Use rock structures that reach the surface
of the water.
Provide hiding places among these structures.
Robust, live plants can be used as this fish
will not usually bother them.
Leave open swimming areas.
Water chemistry: pH 7.5-9.0 (8.1), 12-25 dH (16), 73-81°F (23-27°C)
Social behavior:
P. socolofi is among the most peaceful of
Pseudotropheus species.
Although territorial, this fish does
well with peaceful
mbunas and Peacocks.
Suggested companions: Small Haplochromines, mbunas,
Synodontis, Aulonocara
FOOD: Algae; flake; live; snails, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, microorganisms, crustaceans,
snails, Tubifex
; chopped meat; pellets; tablets; plant matter; vegetables; peas, lettuce, spinach; fruit.
Sexual differences: Males have three to four, distinct egg-spots on the anal fin and have slightly longer
pelvic fins.
Breeding techniques: Use water with a temperature from 77-82°F (25-28°C), a pH from 8.0-8.3, and
a hardness from 10-16 dH.
The male is polygamous, so use several females.
As many as 60 eggs are laid and fertilized
by the dummy-egg method.
The female mouth broods the eggs for 20-25 days.
The blue colored fry emerge and can
be fed Artemia
, Cyclops
, and Daphni
a.
The female should be removed 6-10 days after the fry are released from the female's mouth.
Breeding potential: 7.
A moderately difficult fish to breed.
Remarks: P.
socolofi differs from other mbunas by its lack of clear sexual
dichromatism.
Difficulty of care: 4.
A relatively peaceful mbuna.
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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