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Article by Roland Tarr Species information Species: Pseudotropheus perspicax Synoma: Melanochromis perspicax., Pseudotropheus ndumbi Common name:Orange cap perspicax, Red top ndumbi Origin: Africa Localities/Morphs: Pombo Reef and Ndumbi Reef at north-east part of Lake Malawi at the Tanzanian coast. Maximum size:8cm maximum 10cm in captivity Natural habitat: Rocky habitat at depth between 5-8 meters Natural foods/prey: Vegetarian. It feeds on the algae mat on the rocks. Water chemistry in the wild:pH 7.5-9, 10-11 dH Predators:larger fish, birds Brood size:20-60, it is very prolific breeder. They start to breed from 4cm size. Breeding method:maternal mouthbrooder Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size:standard 3ft for a small colony with one male Sex ratio:1 male with at least 3 females Tolerance of conspecifics: aggressive towards other males of its kind. Tolerance of heterospecifics: they not aggressive towards other cichlids as long as they know who is the boss. Water chemistry in aquaria:quite tolerant of a range of conditions so long as pH is above neutral. pH 7.0-8.6, carbonate hardness 4-12 dKH Temperature range:25-28 degrees Celsius. It can also tolerate 30 degrees Celsius. Foods accepted:Main diet spirulina, vegetable based flakes and pellets. Avoid any food that contains high level of protein such as tubifex, blood worms, etc. Special requirements:none other than water chemistry Notes: It is a pity that these fishes are not more popular. Males have a striking pinkish-lilac base colouration (this can change to almost light pink when excited) with an orange band running from the forehead and running through the dorsal fin. All fins are bordered with orange. The females have a duller brownish colouration and less orange on their fins, although some good females can have very similar colouration to males. In fact I thought my first holding female was a male. These mbunas considered dwarfs as their size rarely exceeds 8cm, although they are small they are more aggressive than most of the other mbunas. They easily can dominate aquariums that houses larger fishes like zebras, lombardoi, even some melanochromis. Make sure that you provide plenty of hiding places in your tank. Once I kept some Labidochromis hongis and perspicax juveniles in the same tank and since the hongis also have orange colour on their fins, the perspicax males tried to mate with them. Therefore make sure that you do not keep similar looking fishes with them. Finally perspicax are active fishes and they are fun to watch.

Article by David Midgley Species information Species: Hypselecara temporalis (Gunther, 1862) Synoma: Acara crassa, Heros goeldii, H. crassa, Cichlasoma hellabrunni, Cichlasoma temporalis Common name: Chocolate cichlid Origin: South America Localities/Morphs: widespread, Amazon river drainages. Some variation does exist in populations along the length of the Amazon. Maximum size: 20-30cm Natural habitat: stagnant, generally in white water 0.5 - 2.0m deep. The species has, however, also been found in black and clear water habitats. In almost all cases the species is found under floating plant cover in dim light. Natural foods/prey: omnivorous in the wild - will graze water plants as well as consuming small invertebrates which it catches at the waters surface. Some reports claim the fish can also feed on flying insects, catching them by jumping out of the water. Water chemistry in the wild: pH 6.0 - 7.2; gH - < 1 degree; kH - < 1 degree; conductivity 127 microsemens (@26 C) Predators: larger fish, other large predatory vertebrates. Brood size: 400-800 eggs Breeding method: Open spawner. Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size: for a single pair 4' (18" deep) Sex ratio: 1m:1f Tolerance of conspecifics: Pairs will bully other individuals if hiding places are not provided. Tolerance of heterospecifics: Good. H. temporalis is a relatively peaceful cichlid. Water chemistry in aquaria: Soft, slightly acid water seems ideal. Temperature range: 25 C. Foods accepted: Unfussy feeder - will accept flake, pelletted, frozen and or live foods. Also provide some vegetable content. Special requirements: Water should be low in metal ions. More below. Notes The chocolate cichlid is another of South Americas underrated species. This is a large cichlid which is quite gentle natured, despite its size. This, however, should not suggest that they should be housed with small fishes such as neon tetras - which they will readily consume. The tank should be well planted with tough indigestible species, such as java fern and anubias. If possible, plants should be placed such that the tank can only be viewed from one side, this helps to reduce the stress the cichlid feels at being "exposed" to predators. In addition the tank should be furnished with wood, dark substrate and floating plants. The dark substrate and floating plant cover help further to calm this nervous cichlid. As described early there are some reports that this fish will leap out of the water to catch flying insects - as such tight fitting (and adequately thick) tank lids are required. The species is reasonably sensitive to dissolved metal ions (from pipes) and as such peat filtration may be helpful in chelating some of these free ions. The species is known to fall ill to a variety of "pitting" diseases when metal ion concentrations are too high. Having kept a number of chocolate cichlids I can happily recommend this cichlid to anyone who is interested in keeping a 4x18x18 tank with something quite different.

Species information Species: Neolamprologus cylindricus Synoma: Lamprologus cylindricus Common name: Cylindricus Origin: Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. Localities/Morphs: Found on the south eastern coastline of Lake Tanganyika from the Ifume River to the Kalambo River. Maximum size: Males can grow up to 12cm. Natural habitat: This is a rock dwelling cichlid. Natural foods/prey: Crustations and small fish. Water chemistry in the wild: ranging from 8 - 9.4 ph 22*c-30*c Predators: Lepidiolamprologus sp. Brood size: 60-150 eggs are laid Breeding method: Egg layer. Females usually lay eggs in a cave or shell Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size: 3 foot fish tank for 1 pair. Sex ratio: Pairs work well in the aquarium although in the wild pairs rarely stay together longer than 1 month. Tolerance of conspecifics: Males tend not to be the best of friends. Tolerance of heterospecifics: Do not keep adult N. leleupi and N. cylidricus together. Water chemistry in aquaria: Well oxygenated water at 8 - 9.4ph Temperature range: 26*c is perfect but any where from 22 - 30*c would be safe. Foods accepted: Loves brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, accepts pellets and flake, will also do well with the occassional feed of bloodworms and live blackworms. Special requirements: N. cylindricus love heaps of rockwork and hiding spots, males like to have cool caves to hangout in. These fish thrive if they have regular water changes and a varied diet. More protein than green foods are prefered. Notes Grow up approimately 10 young then select the best pairs or pair. Lay a tiger shell in the corner of the tank for the female and a clam shell (cupped down) for the male in front of her shell. Use dither fish to distract the male from harrassing the female too much. Once the pair have been breeding a while the dither fish can be removed. These fish can breed every few weeks once they are settled in. Avoid fish with faint or crooked bars.

Article by Travis Bransgrove Species information Species: Lethrinops oculatus (Trewavas 1931) Synoma: none? Common name: none? Origin: Endemic to Lake Malawi, Africa. Found in southern portion of the lake Localities/Morphs: Maximum size: Around 15cm for males, females less Natural habitat: Sandy shorelines Natural foods/prey: Invertebrates Water chemistry in the wild: Generally between pH 7.5 - 8.0 in shallower regions where this species is found. Up to 20dH. Predators: In adult form, possibly no piscivorous fish. Perhaps birds as they are a shallow-water species. Brood size: 40+, does not breed all year round Breeding method: Maternal mouthbrooder, egg-dummy method Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size: 4 foot tank for colony Sex ratio: Ideally 1M several F, however a pair may be kept in a community setting Tolerance of conspecifics: Males probably do not tolerate each other Tolerance of heterospecifics: Similar looking/coloured/sized males of other species may not be tolerated Water chemistry in aquaria: pH 7.6 - 8.0 Temperature range: 25-28degC Foods accepted: Pellets, flakes, bloodworms, especially likes live/frozen brine shrimp. Special requirements: These fish like to have hiding places. They can be fairly skittish and will readily dive into the sand when scared, surfacing up to 10 minutes later. For this reason, and the fact that they sift/forage constantly, rounded sand substrate is best, (as opposed to sharper). I have read that if the male L. oculatus doesn't dominate the tank he does not cope well. Notes Lethrinops oculatus is an underrated gem; An excellent addition to a Malawi tank (except with other similar looking fish eg Protomelas species). The green body coloration and apricot-coloured fin trimmings are a welcome change to the standard blue and yellow found in many Malawi species. (Dominant) males are not overly aggressive towards dissimilar tankmates, nor hard on their females. To my knowledge there haven't been many L. oculatus around in recent times.

Article by Jessica Drake Species information Species: Astatotilapia latifasciata Synoma: Haplochromis sp. zebra, Haplochromis latifasciatus, Haplochromis sp. zebra obliquidens Common name: seen in some shops labelled as Crimson Tide cichlid, not widely accepted as a common name though. Also often labelled as Haplochromis obliquidens, however this is an incorrect name, the true H. obliquidens is believed to be extinct Origin: Africa (Uganda) - Lake Victoria Localities/Morphs: none reported, although to be more specific about its location it is found in Lake Nawampasa, a small lake narrowly separated from Lake Kyoga just north of Lake Victoria itself Maximum size: 12cm Natural habitat: Lake Nawampasa - papyrus shorelines, intermediate zones with mixed sand and rock substrates, fringing swamps. A very shallow lake with quite a lot of aquatic vegetation Natural foods/prey: insectivorous in the wild Water chemistry in the wild: pH 7.3-7.5, 11 dKH Predators: larger fish, birds Brood size: 10-80, these fish can be very prolific! Breeding method: maternal mouthbrooder Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size: standard 3ft for a small colony with one male Sex ratio: ideal would be 1m/3-5f, however see notes below Tolerance of conspecifics: can be aggressive towards others at times, particularly males will often fight mouth to mouth however in our experience they rarely damage each other. For a Victorian species they are one of the least aggressive Tolerance of heterospecifics: good - quite peaceful towards other species but at the same time able to stand up for themselves against larger fish Water chemistry in aquaria: quite tolerant of a range of conditions so long as pH is above neutral. pH 7.0-8.6, carbonate hardness 4-12 dKH Temperature range: 22-28 degrees Celsius, can tolerate slightly higher temperatures for a short time Foods accepted: practically anything that will fit in their mouths, they are not fussy! Flake, pellets, live food particularly insects e.g. cockroaches, mealworms. They are greedy and will attempt to eat food that is too large and which has the potential to get stuck in the pharynx so be careful not to feed live food that is too large. Special requirements: none other than water chemistry Notes these fish are critically endangered in the wild, so I cannot express strongly enough how important it is for any owner/breeder of these fish to look after them properly. Many lake Victorian fish have a reputation for breeding easily and rapidly and this combined with poor breeding strategies and inbreeding quickly leads to the decline of the species. Choose your breeding stock carefully and try as much as possible to breed from unrelated fish. It is also extremely important that they NOT be kept with other Lake Victorian species as there is a risk of hybridisation occurring - this is unacceptable in a species that is on the verge of extinction. So preferably, keep them in a species tank. it is recommended that they be kept in a colony of 1 male to several females, however my colony contains 4 males and 2 females with no serious aggression problems. 2 males are fully coloured up, the other 2 are only slightly duller than the dominant males. there is some natural variation in the striping pattern on the fish - this is normal and may include broken bars, uneven bars and an alternate "one up, one down" pattern as can be seen in the male fish in the photos I have posted. Females can be silver with black bars or may also have a gold sheen to their body. I have seen some fish around that have had much reduced bars - to the point of having spots - and while I would not want to see people breeding these fish selectively for straight bars etc (as variation is a natural feature of this species) I am suspicious of the quality of individuals marked in this way as these fish have also appeared to have poor colour. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Article by David Midgley Species information Species: Laetacara dorsigera (Heckel, 1840) Synoma: Acara dorsigera, Aequidens dorsiger, A. frenifera, A. flavilabris, A. thayeri Common name: red flag cichlid, red laetacara Origin: South America Localities/Morphs: No morphs are known - however, the species occurs around the Rio Paraguay, Rio Guapore, Rio Alegre, Villa Maria & Puerto Suarez Maximum size: 8-9cm Natural habitat: swampy areas surrounding major rivers. Very still, murky water. Natural foods/prey: micropredator (mainly insect larvae, etc - although the fish is an opportunistic feeder and will take other food types such as small fishes & other invertebrates) Water chemistry in the wild: pH - 6.0; gH - low (under 1 degree); kH - low (under 1 degree); Conductivity - 23 microsemens (@29.5 C) Predators: Larger fishes, birds. Brood size: ca 300 eggs Breeding method: Open spawning pair former usually spawns on a flat stone or large sturdy leaf. Husbandry requirements Minimum tank size: 2' (80L) for a single pair Sex ratio: 1m:1f Tolerance of conspecifics: Single pair only. Tolerance of heterospecifics: A pair will tolerate almost any nonaggressive heterospecifics Water chemistry in aquaria: Under pH 6.5 is best for breeding Temperature range: 24-29 C Foods accepted: varied - will accept almost any flake, pelleted, frozen or live foods. Special requirements: Well planted tanks suit this shy cichlid. Notes L. dorsigera is shy almost to its own detriment. I have found the species easy to spawn in pH's under 6.5, however, the fish are notorious egg-eaters (which they seem to do when stressed) and only poorly defend their fry/eggs from other fishes. As such I would recommend housing them only with a few mountain cloud minnows as a dither species. The tank should be well planted and the spawning site should be well hidden from viewing on at least three sides of the aquarium. Sponge/DIY Ice cream tub filters are ideal for this species which does well in very still water. The parents share the brood care although the male involves himself more with territorial defence (which he does only poorly). Fry care last ca 3 weeks. Fry should be removed from the parents after this time. Additionally, newly free-swimming fry are very small and enjoy regularly feeding of insuforians and fine powdered foods. Newly hatched brine shrimp are only suitable 7 or so days after the fry are free swimming as they are too big for the younger fry and tend to foul the water. This species, along with the flag cichlid (L. curviceps) are two of the more commonly available Laetacara species in Australia. They are also two of the most underrated cichlids in the country. These fish display brilliant red underbellies when breeding along with red highlights in the dorsal and caudal fins. The body is also covered in small blue scales which seem to glow when the fish is breeding.