Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Petrochromis sp. 'texas blue' Kipili.jpg Shuja horei 'Kipili'.jpg Telmatochromis vittatus 'Kipili'.jpg Tropheus sp. 'kipili' Kipili.jpg Xenochromis hecqui 'Kipili'.jpg
Previous pageNext pageTelmatochromis vittatus 'Kipili'
Tribe / Genus: Lamprologini / Telmatochromis
Type locality: Mbity Rocks, Lake Tanganyika, Zambia.
Biotope: Intermediate habitat. Occurs in rocky areas and transitional zones, including environments with empty snail shells.
Geographic distribution: Distributed around Lake Tanganyika, except in the northernmost sub-basin (Burundi and the corresponding Congolese coast), where it is replaced by Telmatochromis brichardi or Telmatochromis bifrenatus.
Typical adult size: Up to about 10 cm total length. Females are slightly smaller.
A shell-dwelling variant grows significantly smaller, reaching approximately 6 cm.
Sexual dimorphism: Males grow larger than females, which remain slightly smaller and more slender.
Recommended aquarium size: 100 L.
Aquarium setup: Aquarium with numerous rocks forming caves. Fine sand substrate, supplemented with empty snail shells.
Diet: Omnivorous. Feeds primarily on algae and other microorganisms living in the aufwuchs, which are removed with a characteristic jerking movement of the body forming an “S” shape.
Breeding: Substrate spawner. Spawning occurs in caves or empty snail shells. The female deposits around 50 eggs, which are fertilized by the male.
Both parents participate in brood care.
Aggression: Can be aggressive toward conspecifics, but otherwise a relatively peaceful cichlid suitable for community aquaria, provided tank mates are not overly large or aggressive.
Special notes: Two ecological variants of Telmatochromis vittatus are known. The larger form inhabits rocky environments, while the smaller form lives in shell beds and is commonly referred to as Telmatochromis vittatus shell.
T. vittatus is very similar to T. brichardi and the two species are often difficult to distinguish. The larger rocky form of T. vittatus can usually be separated by its greater adult size, whereas the shell-dwelling forms are extremely similar in size, appearance, and behavior, making reliable identification difficult.

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Photo: © Eric Dasmien
Photo: © Lechoslaw Latka
Photo: © Lechoslaw Latka
Photo: © Lechoslaw Latka
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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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