The Tanganyikan cichlid comes from Lake Tanganyika in Africa. This freshwater fish has a unique color, shape, and pattern. The unique color is what makes them so popular. The Tanganyikan cichlid is an extremely colorful fish.
Their bodies are usually a dark red color, but they can also be a dark brown or even a light green. The fins of this fish can be white, yellow, or red. This fish is most commonly found in the aquarium fish trade.
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The Tanganyikan Cichlid is a wonderful fish that can be kept in an aquarium. This article will teach you how to care for them and why they are so popular.
Table of Contents
Origin and description
The Tanganyikan cichlid is a genus of fish in the Cichlid family, Cichlidae. They are popular in the aquarium trade and are typically found in the African Great Lakes. The word “Tanganyika” is also used to refer to the African Great Lakes region as a whole or the rift lake within it. These fish have many different species, and the common name is actually a misnomer. The name Tanganyika was given to these fish because most of them were discovered in Lake Tanganyika, but many are also found in other lakes in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
The Tanganyikan cichlid is a fish that comes from the African Great Lakes region. They are one of the few African cichlids who are compatible with a variety of live plants. They typically grow to be about 6 inches in length and have a lifespan of about 10 years.
Tanganyikan cichlid is a type of cichlid that is found in Lake Tanganyika. They typically live in rocky areas and are torpedo-shaped. There are three main types of tanganyikan cichlid – Cyprichromis, Julidochromis, and Lamprologus. Cyprichromis species are small cichlids that can be found throughout the lake. Julidochromis species are usually the larger females, but this is not always the case. These fish display personality and can grow to around 5 inches long
These fish are predators and preys on young cichlids and invertebrates, snatching them from rock crevices. They are not particularly territorial and may hide for some time after introduction to a new tank. This fish is best kept in a single species tank.
How to breed tanganyikan cichlid
Breeding cichlids is a great way to add some new life to your tank. They are hardy and easy to breed, making it a relatively easy process. You will need to set up a tank with a pH of 8, but after that, you don’t have to worry too much about water quality or food. Cichlids will set up homes and breed without much work on your part.
Breeding Tanganyikan cichlid can be a difficult process, as they are aggressive and territorial fish. In order to successfully breed them, you will need to provide them with a low protein diet and males will develop extra-large nuchal humps and extra-long fins. While these fish may be the least commonly represented of the Tanganyikan cichlid, they are among the most beautiful in the life cycle of the tanganyikan cichlid
Water Conditions
The ideal water condition to breed the Tanganyikan cichlid successfully are as follows:
- Temperature of about 77°F (25°C)
- pH should be around 8.2 and above
- KH 10-15
- GH 12-20
- Ammonia should be 0.0ppm
- Nitrate should not be less than 20ppm.
- Nitrite 0.0ppm
Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika are some of the most exciting freshwater fish available to aquarium enthusiasts. In fact, the wide spectrum of species’ natural habitats and their insatiable appetites for both animal and algae-based foods have translated into a wealth of cichlid diversity in the hobby. This collection of fish is also impressively sized; from diminutive species like Neolamprologus multifasciatus (approximately 3cm/1.2”) to others like Boulengerochromis microlepis (the world’s largest cichlid at almost 90cm/35”), there’s a perfect match out there for everyone!
Types of African cichlid breeders
Substrate spawners
There are a handful species of cichlids originating from Lake Tanganyika that are the most popular today, including the Julies (Julidochromis spp.), Fairy cichlids (Neolamprologus pulcher), shown above, and Lemon cichlids (Neolamprologus leleupi). Typically found next to rocks and other pieces of cover which they use as protection while eating.
Their diet is mainly comprised of tiny invertebrates, which they obtain by scavenging along sandy and rocky coastlines, and in nearby caves where they breed. When young are born or eggs begin to rise with the breaking of male breeding territory, boundaries become declared. The parents will defend their fry until they’re old enough to fend for themselves.
Even though the common name “Fairy cichlid” may make these fish sound a bit delicate and fairy-like, there is nothing frilly about them when it comes down to doing what they have to do in order to survive.
“Neolamprologus ocellatus is a shell-dwelling species from Lake Tanganyika. Empty and calcified shells of Neothauma snail, which are preserved by hard alkaline water, made up their caves. Naturally, they breed in caves created by Neothauma snail populations and typically inhabit shells that belong to this parent species, but have also been discovered in other shells like those of Astraea snails.”
The Mouthbrooders
These are very popular Tanganyika cichlid among hobbyists, with the rock-dwelling, algae-eating Tropheus and the large sedate predatory Frontosa that make up the majority of all such fish sold. Despite living in the same lake, these three have different requirements and therefore, should not be kept together in the same tank.
Tropheus are an extremely territorial and very aggressive type of Tanganyika cichlid, forming schools of several dozen fish in the wild where they protect their algae by fighting Ascorhynchus snails that would otherwise devour them. They need an overcrowded aquarium with multiple species-only specimens, rock piles for shelter, and a diet that is low in protein. Frontosas have black and white stripes across the face and fins developing large nodules on males that differentiate them.
African cichlids are a very popular fish given their bright colors and variety of body types. While there are some species, such as the variable Haplochromines that prefer saltier water over others that like more alkaline habitats. It is advised by most hobbyists not to keep these species mixed together in one aquarium since they often prefer different conditions – though this may be entirely dependent on whether or not one has managed to gain a proper handle on fish keeping!
For this reason, they should not be kept together with Sardine cichlids in the same tank, though some hobbyists find it hard to keep them in captivity because they are solitary. They live at depths with low light levels, where they are known to shuck up the sleeping Sardine cichlids (Cyprichromis spp.).
Sardine cichlids, including Cyprichromis and Paracyprichromis, do not resemble cichlids a bit – rather, they resemble the pelagic marine fish by which they are known.
Humans and larger cichlids prey on them as they shoal in large groups on the surface of open water.
This elegant species looks fantastic in an aquarium shoal. Males exhibit bright yellow or blue colors display to the females.
Tanks that are tall and large are better for keeping them out of the lamprologines breeding way. The mouth of a female becomes much distended when she is brooding and she won’t eat.
Sand Dwellers
These are Tanganyikan cichlid that is the least commonly represented, but one of the most beautiful fish. During the breeding season, males create bowers – depressions in the sand – to entice females. There needs to be a large aquarium with a lot of open sand for them.
This species, like Frontosa, Tropheus, and Cyprichromis, benefit from numerous females surrounding a single male, making sure a male is always looking good and preventing females from developing too much aggression if the male turns out to be too amorous.
