Hey Ash,Any chance your willing to do an article on cynotilapia afra? I got a group of 6 white top galileo that are awesome and would like to know more about them.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Educating MFK on Africans!
- Thread starter Ash
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Yah I should be able to get to it either tomorrow or thur with no prob. and I'll see what I can dig up!
edit - actually I am not gonna be around for a few days so I can do it by sunday night I am sorry, something came up havent been around much. I get the info by the end of this weekend ok.
edit - actually I am not gonna be around for a few days so I can do it by sunday night I am sorry, something came up havent been around much. I get the info by the end of this weekend ok.
How about posting some pics of these fish? I have a couple of different wild caughts and must say Cyn afra "lions cove" male is quite some fish. Will look at getting a good shot to post.gomezladdams said:
Heres a shot of one of the males deep blue almost purple most os the time,Blazes almost all white when displaying caught him just starting to flare hes not quite 2"
Hey can you do Hap. Compressicep(sp) for me they are my favorite also known as Malawi eye biter but I am sure you Know that
TY in advance
TY in advance
Isn't ASH great? What would we do with out her? 
Gomezladdoms, how about catching a pic of this fish of yours when it has fully changed its colour? Sounds quite amazing and would love to see it. This is what makes these fish so incredible to keep. I have a Metriaclima sp "black dorsal" and when I put him into alarge hex tank he completely changed colour. He was a very non-discript colour in amongst all the wild caughts and was rather docile, but now he chases everyhting in sight.
Am getting rather excited as my supplier is getting in a whole new batch of wild caughts. One being a Protomelas sp "mbenji thick lip". The pic in my book shows quite a stunning fish so am looking forward to seeing what it really looks like. Once they have settled will try to get some pic's posted.
Gomezladdoms, how about catching a pic of this fish of yours when it has fully changed its colour? Sounds quite amazing and would love to see it. This is what makes these fish so incredible to keep. I have a Metriaclima sp "black dorsal" and when I put him into alarge hex tank he completely changed colour. He was a very non-discript colour in amongst all the wild caughts and was rather docile, but now he chases everyhting in sight.
Am getting rather excited as my supplier is getting in a whole new batch of wild caughts. One being a Protomelas sp "mbenji thick lip". The pic in my book shows quite a stunning fish so am looking forward to seeing what it really looks like. Once they have settled will try to get some pic's posted.
Ill be home a few days this week getting ready to build a gym in my basement so Ill spend some time watching them with the camera If i get anything good Ill start a thread in the Photo lounge,Theres been some rally cool displays between the 2 males this week.
Alright sorry that took so long =( been really busy, but as requested here is your info for cynotilapia afra:
Cynotilapia Afra:
General:
Cynotilapia afra is a species that consists of many color variations. Each locality in Lake Malawi is differentfrom the next. C. afra was extremely popular during the 80’s but because of overpopulation it has lost some popularity. Today some color varieties are common and others are rare.
Habitat:
They are cave dwellers and dart about the rocky bottom.. They are incessant diggers and will turn a tank upside down in a short time.
Care:
Setting up an aquarium with a sandy bottom and lots of caves. Although males and females attain a size of only 4 inches, they are rather aggressive and should be treated as such. They are extremely hardy fish and they can hold their own with larger fish. They like hard, alkaline water.
Temperature: 74-84 degrees.
Ph: 7.2-8.0
Feeding:
Truthfully, they eat anything fed them such as earthworms, bloodworms and brine shrimp. They have a diet consisting mainly of vegetable matter is best. A good spirulina flake is all they need, but it's okay to give them a weekly feeding of worms or shrimp.
Breeding:
C. afra are polygamous mouthbrooders and one male with about 6 or 8 females works great in a 50 breeder. More than one male is fine but be sure that you have adequate protection in the form of caves, flowerpots, PVC, etc.. Although the C. afra male is greatly outsized, he is the "King" of the tank. C. afra breed about every thirty days and carry anywhere from 15-30 eggs, but the longer you let the female brood, the longer the interval will be between spawns.
species summary
Cynotilapia Afra:
General:
Cynotilapia afra is a species that consists of many color variations. Each locality in Lake Malawi is differentfrom the next. C. afra was extremely popular during the 80’s but because of overpopulation it has lost some popularity. Today some color varieties are common and others are rare.
Habitat:
They are cave dwellers and dart about the rocky bottom.. They are incessant diggers and will turn a tank upside down in a short time.
Care:
Setting up an aquarium with a sandy bottom and lots of caves. Although males and females attain a size of only 4 inches, they are rather aggressive and should be treated as such. They are extremely hardy fish and they can hold their own with larger fish. They like hard, alkaline water.
Temperature: 74-84 degrees.
Ph: 7.2-8.0
Feeding:
Truthfully, they eat anything fed them such as earthworms, bloodworms and brine shrimp. They have a diet consisting mainly of vegetable matter is best. A good spirulina flake is all they need, but it's okay to give them a weekly feeding of worms or shrimp.
Breeding:
C. afra are polygamous mouthbrooders and one male with about 6 or 8 females works great in a 50 breeder. More than one male is fine but be sure that you have adequate protection in the form of caves, flowerpots, PVC, etc.. Although the C. afra male is greatly outsized, he is the "King" of the tank. C. afra breed about every thirty days and carry anywhere from 15-30 eggs, but the longer you let the female brood, the longer the interval will be between spawns.
species summary
Hap Compressicep (Dimi Comp) - A Malawi Eye Biter:
Gen. Info: This Malawi is known as an eye biter, becuase it has bitten off the eyes of other fish. These guys are aslo know to eat their food tail first, I have never seen mine eat its food that way though, it seems to just eat it normally. I notice mine tends to be anti-social but gets along fine with its tank mates. I also noticed he seems to like hiding behind my plants alot, and seems to enjoy swimming through them.
Size: 10inches or 25 cm
Tank Setup: A large tank (suggest 100 gallons plus if kept with other fish) with some rock caves and plenty of open swimming space. Plants such as Vallis can be added.
Tempature: 72-82 degrees
Ph: 7.5-8.5
Feeding: Carnivore, feeders, shrimps, bloodworms and pellets.
Breeding: he male may dig a shallow spawning pit and display to attract the female to it. A mouthbrooder, the female will incubate the eggs and fry for about 3 weeks. The male is likely to eat the fry once released. Feed fry on small frozen/live foods such as baby brine shrimp, cyclops and daphnia.
Compatability: They are predators towards small fishes. You can combine them with other open-water Malawi species which are not too aggressive, such as Copadochromis and Aulonocara. I have personally found my Comp to be agressive twoards species bigger then him and mine took some scales off another one of my fish so far the only compatability I have found with mine is with mbuna - but that is my own personal experience.
The first 4 pic is of my own, sorry they are kina blurry, and the rest were ones I have found:
Gen. Info: This Malawi is known as an eye biter, becuase it has bitten off the eyes of other fish. These guys are aslo know to eat their food tail first, I have never seen mine eat its food that way though, it seems to just eat it normally. I notice mine tends to be anti-social but gets along fine with its tank mates. I also noticed he seems to like hiding behind my plants alot, and seems to enjoy swimming through them.
Size: 10inches or 25 cm
Tank Setup: A large tank (suggest 100 gallons plus if kept with other fish) with some rock caves and plenty of open swimming space. Plants such as Vallis can be added.
Tempature: 72-82 degrees
Ph: 7.5-8.5
Feeding: Carnivore, feeders, shrimps, bloodworms and pellets.
Breeding: he male may dig a shallow spawning pit and display to attract the female to it. A mouthbrooder, the female will incubate the eggs and fry for about 3 weeks. The male is likely to eat the fry once released. Feed fry on small frozen/live foods such as baby brine shrimp, cyclops and daphnia.
Compatability: They are predators towards small fishes. You can combine them with other open-water Malawi species which are not too aggressive, such as Copadochromis and Aulonocara. I have personally found my Comp to be agressive twoards species bigger then him and mine took some scales off another one of my fish so far the only compatability I have found with mine is with mbuna - but that is my own personal experience.
The first 4 pic is of my own, sorry they are kina blurry, and the rest were ones I have found:
Name: Halp. Venustus
Size: Up to 25 cm.
Tank Settings: Make sure to have large rocks or stones set up with alot of holes for hiding, and a sandy bottom is best. Also they dont tend to dig up plants unless they are a soft plant.
Temp/Ph: 78-80 degrees/ 8.0pH
Feeding: It can be fed with large live food, but will also accept frozen and flake food. Requires plant matter as part of the diet
Breeding: Not too difficult. Maternal mouthbrooder, the female cares for the up to 120 eggs and fry for a period of 10 days. Not too particular about the watervalues, as long as the pH is above neutral.
Telling dif. between sexes: Males spots turn blue and have an intense yellow coloration on the fin, females keep the juvi look.
Also this fish can be agressive, but then again most Africans are.
Species summary
Size: Up to 25 cm.
Tank Settings: Make sure to have large rocks or stones set up with alot of holes for hiding, and a sandy bottom is best. Also they dont tend to dig up plants unless they are a soft plant.
Temp/Ph: 78-80 degrees/ 8.0pH
Feeding: It can be fed with large live food, but will also accept frozen and flake food. Requires plant matter as part of the diet
Breeding: Not too difficult. Maternal mouthbrooder, the female cares for the up to 120 eggs and fry for a period of 10 days. Not too particular about the watervalues, as long as the pH is above neutral.
Telling dif. between sexes: Males spots turn blue and have an intense yellow coloration on the fin, females keep the juvi look.
Also this fish can be agressive, but then again most Africans are.
Species summary
