Family: Cichlidae
Distribution: Benthochromis tricoti is an African cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika; it lives in deep waters of up to 150 metres.
PH: 8.0 – 9.0
Temperature: 22°C – 24°C (73 – 77F)
Hardness: 8 – 14 dH
Description: Benthochromis tricoti can reach up to 30 cm in length, which makes it one of the great aquarium cichlids. It has huge eyes, a yellow throat and some incredible blue or purple horizontal stripes. The females, in contrast, are colourless.
Diet: In nature, this species feeds on invertebrates mostly. In an aquarium environment, you will have no problem feeding it most foods. You could provide it with frozen brine, flake food and typical fish pellets. You might offer it some shrimp or bloodworms on the odd occasion.
Breeding: There is not a lot of actual information available on breeding this species, most likely because it is a near impossible task. The female, a maternal mouthbrooder, will initially lay one egg on a small hill or flat stone. The male will fertilise the egg, at which point the female will collect the egg and lay another one, up to about 10 -12 eggs. Once the hold period is completed the young fry can be fed with high quality fry food or hatched brine shrimp. This species is one of the toughest to breed in captivity.
Comments: This species will need a big aquarium – at least 300 cm in length. You will also need to provide spots of thick, dense vegetation, and a sandy substrate to simulate its natural environment. This species will not attack your plants. You must make sure Benthochromis tricoti has plenty of room to swim around, given its size. This is a great fish to look at, but very tough to breed. This is not a fish for newcomers to the hobby.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species: This species can be kept with other non-aggressive cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, including Xenotilapias, Altoamprologuses and Cyphotilapias.
Originally posted 2010-01-05 11:16:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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