Educating MFK on Africans!

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Fossorochromis

General:
Fossorochromis rostratus was first typed by Boulenger in 1898, yet you don't find many accounts of hobbyist spawnings until the last ten years.
Fossorochromis rostratus is a large, mouthbrooding Malawian cichlid that reaches lengths of up to ten inches. It's a large, fast swimming piscivore and you'll need a big tank to keep it. It's also a beautiful fish, but I have seen quite a bit of difference in individual coloration. As you'd expect, they are most dramatic when in breeding colors.

This is a fish for the intermediate to advanced aquarist who is patient. Males do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least eight inches long. Plan on allowing at least two years for a fish to get this big.

One curiousity about this fish is that when frightened, it will quickly dive into the substrate and bury itself. Fossorochromis rostratus can do this with remarkable speed.

Habitat:

Fossorochromis rostratus is found over sand and gravel areas in the lake and may co-habit these areas with Cyrtocara moorii. Fish found over the sandy areas tend be very fast swimmers and Fossochromis rostratus is no exception. In the lake, the fish spends a lot of time sifting through the sand.

Care:
Fossorochromis rostratus has similar requirements to most Malawian cichlids; hard water and temperatures from 75 to 80F. Provide a soft substrate such as fine gravel or sand as this fish can be damaged by it's tendency to dive into the substrate when scared.

Because this is a large fish, I recommend a 100 gallon tank for a group of six to eight individuals. Large fast-swimming fish like these do not do well in small tanks.

Feeding:
Fossorochromis rostratus will quickly consume a variety of prepared foods. When young, I fed Tetra Cichlid flakes and Spirulina flakes. As the fish got older, I fed Tetra Cichlid Sticks. I have not observed this fish eat live food.

Breeding:
Fossorochromis rostratus is very difficult to sex until it obtains very large sizes. Subdominant males look exactly like females! For this reason alone, this can be a challenging fish to breed.

Fossorochromis.jpg
 
That Aulonocara maleri?? Sunshine Peacock?

Ne who heres some info:

General:
Aulonocara maleri "Maleri Island" was first brought into the United States in the early to mid seventies. This is the fish that was originally named the "Sunshine Peacock". Since that time, no fewer than three other peacocks have been called that in the marketplace. Although fish such as Aulonocara baenschi are just as beautiful, A. maleri will always be the "Sunshine Peacock" to me. These fish were bred to enhance the orange color in some males and is the ancestor to the famous "German Reds" and the newer "Ruben Reds".

Habitat:
A. maleri are, of course, from Lake Malawi. I don’t know where they were originally collected, but my guess is from somewhere along the Tanzanian coast. They are presently no longer collected from the lake. A. maleri are classic peacocks. They love a sandy bottom and also do best when provided with several caves.

Care:
A. maleri likes hard alkaline water around 76-82 degrees, although they will tolerate slightly higher or lower temperatures. Some salt may be added but they do fine without. As stated, A. maleri likes a sandy to rocky habitat and caves and/or flowerpots should be included. Minimum tank size is a 5 gallon tank for one fish. They do best when kept in groups. For a group of 5 or 6 adults (1 male and 4 or 5 females) do well in any tank that is 36 inches long or over. They also do well as part of an Africa

Feeding:
A. maleri fry can eat anything. Start them out with newly hatched brine shrimp or if you prefer a quality flake food. They will also accept micro worms. Within weeks the fry will be large enough to accept white worms. Adults will readily eat flake food, pellet food, adult brine shrimp, bloodworms and earthworms.

Breeding:
A. maleri are harem spawners. Adult fish do best when one male is in a tank with 4-6 females. You can have more than one male but he will be harassed. My breeding colony consists of 4 females and 1 male. Each female produces approximately one spawn every five weeks consisting of anywhere from 20 to 30 eggs.

Aulonocara_maleri.jpg
 
uh they are turquoise in color? lol =) but I'll post some info on them also !

Aulonocara sp. "Turkis"
The Turquoise Peacock

First of all, lets state right up front that this fish does not occur in Lake Malawi. It is a man-made fish. It is not an atrocity like the Parrot Cichlid but rather a product of careful inbreeding of Aulonocara species to obtain a specific goal, a Turquoise Peacock. Who better to accomplish this then the Germans? This fish came over from selectively bred German stock about two years ago. There is not a real good picture on the web of this fish, so it has gone relatively unnoticed. Well, I’m here to tell you that this fish is unusually colored, very striking and, yes, turquoise. One word of caution, they are extremely slow to color up. It is not rare for a male to be well over a year old before he starts coloring up.

Habitat:

The Turkis, as it is called, is still an African Cichlid so it likes hard alkaline water and a temperature of about 80 degrees F. They love to dig, so give them plenty of gravel and plenty of caves or any other appropriate hiding place. The males are relatively non-aggressive and you can house more than one male in a tank provided you have plenty of room. Of course, one male and six to eight females is best. Somewhere around a 40 to 50 gallon breeder is ideal.

Care:
As with most African Cichlids, the Turkis is happy anywhere. Proper temperature, pH, hardness and weekly water changes of about 25% keep this fish happy and healthy.

Feeding:
The Turkis is a good eater and readily eats anything given them. As with all fish, you should feed a variety of foods. They attack earthworms, as well as, frozen brine shrimp, pellets and flakes.

Breeding:
The Turkis is, of course, a mouth brooder and a harem spawner. They are completely typical of their Genus (Aulonocara). Given adequate conditions and food, they will breed easily.

Aulonocara_sp_turkis.jpg
 
Yo Ash, can I get some info on the Copadichromis sp. "Likoma Blue" (Ndumbi) please? Many thanks.
 
I need suggestions ash... I just set up a 55 gal. tank at work. It is decorated with plenty of reef rock that I piled up to make hiding places and looks like a reef. The tank is 4 feet in length and 1 foot wide. I had pseudotropheus species before and wanted to try out new african cichlids. Can you put together a list of african cichlids that you would throw in a 55 gal. tank decorated like this? I'm not familiar with what is compatible, and it seems like you know this kind of stuff off the top of your head.
 
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