Melanochromis vermivorus

[jbounce]

I just got a Melanochromis vermivorus, im new to Africans, any one know what theyre like?

[jbounce]

Also, does anyone know how to tell the difference between Melanochromis vermivorus and Melanochromis Chipokae, just wanna be certain of the fish I have.

[Rol&Jas]

Hi,

I kept both M. vermivorus and M. chipokae in the past.

I bought a "so called" colony of M. vermivorus and they kept spawning, but never seen fry from them. Later on I found out that I had a colony of females.

Dominant Melanochromis females can colour in almost like males, only expert eyes can tell them apart.

There is not a lot of information about M. vermivorus unfortunately and they are not very common either. From experience they are quite aggressive and very territorial, they are actually fun to watch, because of their activity. They grow to about 11cm and have a stocky built compared to the more slender built of other Melanochromis. When they are young they have a greyish or silverish base colour with narrow black horizontal stripes. Mature males get a purple-black base colour and narrow silverish-white horizontal stripes. The dorsal fin also becomes silverish-white. As I mentioned females can get this colour later on too.

Melanochromis chipokae grows to a larger size 14cm. It has a pike like snout and very slender body. The fry has a yellow base colour and black lateral stripes. M. chipokae is predatory in the wild, while the vermivorus more of a vegetarian. They both accept cichlid flakes though. For more information on the M. chipokae go to The Sydney Cichlid Page

Cheers,

Roland