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Tropheus Duboisi
| Found by: |
Marlier,
1959 |
| Origin: |
Lake
Tanganyika |
| Size: |
12-14 cm |
| Water
temp: |
25 - 27°C |
| pH: |
8.2 |
T. duboisi
is one of the most popular cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. Its
popularity is mainly derived from the fact that juveniles have a
gorgeous coloration pattern consisting of a jet-black body adorned
with many light blue to white spots. The juvenile color pattern
disappears when the fish gets mature and makes place for a
blue-black body color with a white or yellow vertical band under
the dorsal fin. The juvenile pattern, however, remains for almost
a year and these fish are rightly called "Pearly
Butterfly."
Habitat
Found along rocky
shores with other of its kind. Tropheus duboisi "mazwa"
can be found at Cape Kabogo near the Malagarasi-delta. Lives in a
waterdepth of 3-15 m.
Behaviour and reproduction
It's most likely
that T. duboisi has been forced to leave the upper
waterlayers due to more successful species (for example: T.
moorii and Petrochromis). T. duboisi lives more
widely spread than T. moorii who is more strongly connected
to a group. It's a mouthbreader and the female have the eggs in
her mouth in 20-25 days. Juveniles are about 1 cm when they leave
their mothers mouth. The female sometimes eats while she's
carrying the eggs. The little ones have white dots all over the
body. Later they will loose their dots.
In the aquarium
T. duboisi
is best kept in an aquarium with at least 300 litres. You should
decorate your aquarium with many stones. Older males can be very
aggressive and it will be hard to keep them with their own kind.
The feeding can be a problem if you don't consider that the food
must have much fibres so the intestine will have to work. Pure
water, good circulation and good filtration is more factors that
are important if you want to succeed with this fish.
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
One
of my first fry's of the beautiful duboisi. The
photo is taken when the fry was about 6 month's |
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
Here
can you se the beginning of the stripe on the
duboisi. The fry is from the same group of fry's
as the above. |
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
The
female is grasping for the males analfin. You can
see the oviduct on the female. |
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
The
male is doing the shake in front of the female.
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
A
fully grown male. The duboisigroup was mixed with
T. moorii "kachese" in this aquarium.
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Tropheus
duboisi "mazwa"
A
group of half-grown T. duboisi. Notice the nice
stripe on many of the individuals. |
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Adult
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Juvenile
Trade
names: 'Karilani' |
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Trade
names: 'Kigoma' |
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Trade
names: 'Maswa', 'Mazwa' |
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Maintenance
The
maintenance of the breeding tank mainly consists
of a weekly water change. Depending on the amount
of fish a 50% change is a regular amount. Siphon
off all debris lying on the bottom and check if
the filter is still operating as it should,
because T. duboisi likes crystal clear
water. A last recommendation: never introduce wild
caught fish into an existing colony. They carry,
invariably, parasites, which may be transferred to
your T. duboisi . The new fish are
"inspected" by the duboisis and more
often than not get weaker instead of acclimatizing
to the new environment. As they get weaker the
parasites in them flourish and are even able to
affect your healthy T. duboisi . So, never
new, wild caught fish in your established breeding
colony. If you have taken care of the water
quality, the set-up of the breeding tank and
supply the right food, there will be nothing
holding T. duboisi from breeding. In an
established colony spawning can be observed almost
daily. Females carrying eggs and larvae can be
kept together with the group or isolated in
separate tanks. Never put more than one
mouthbrooding female in a small tank, they will
fight if two or more are kept together. If left on
her own the fry will be released at the right
time. The female can be put back in the breeding
colony. This is best done at night when all fish
are at sleep. Thus we avoid the stress of the
female being surrounded by inquiring relatives
while she may have forgotten the environment of
the breeding tank. If one leaves the mouthbrooding
females with the breeding colony, the duration of
the brooding should be noted for all brood caring
females because they will not release their fry in
the midst of all other tank-inhabitants. After
four weeks the female should be shortly placed in
a tank with baby fish to induce her to spit out
the fry or we may force the fry out of her mouth
with the aid of a Q-tip. The easiest way to net a
mouthbrooding female from the breeding tank is
during the night. When all fish are at sleep we
single out (with a flashlight) the female we want
and effortlessly net it out. In large breeding
set-ups all females could be netted out every ten
days and checked for larvae. Females with eggs are
placed back, they will be emptied during the next
round. |
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