Blue Victoria Mouthbrooder (Haplochromis nubilus)

Blue Victoria Mouthbrooder Haplochromis nubilus
Name	Blue Victoria Mouthbrooder
Name Lat.	Haplochromis nubilus
Synonym	Astatotilapia nubila
Family	Cichlids
Family lat.	Cichlidae
Order	Cichlids
Order lat.	Cichliformes
Origin	Lake Victoria
Habitat	Lake, tributaries
Diet	Omnivore
pH	7.0-9.0
Behavior	Aggressive
Keeping	Harem
Care Level	Moderate
Reproduction	Mouthbrooder
Breeding	Simple
Life Span	3-5 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	10-13 cm
Temperature	21-29 °C
Hardness	4-10 °dH
Aquarium	120 cm / 240 l
US Units
Size	3.9"-5.1"
Temperature	70-84 °F
Hardness	71-178 ppm
Aquarium	65 gal

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of the incandescent coal mouthbrooders is the entire Lake Victoria basin in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. They live on the vegetated, shallow shores of the lakes and in their inflows and outflows.

Maintenance

The aquarium should have a border planting with many hiding places from stones and roots and offer sufficient swimming space. A substrate of sand or fine gravel and slightly alkaline, medium-hard water is ideal.

No ammonia, ammonium and nitrite should be detectable, the nitrate value should not exceed 100 mg/l. To ensure the water quality and oxygen content, a filter and heater adapted to the aquarium size is required, as well as lighting for the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals.

Diet

The food supply consists of live, frozen and dry food. For a balanced diet, feed once a day with a high-quality dry food for cichlids (flakes, granules, pellets) as well as daphnia, artemia, mosquito larvae or mysis (live or frozen). In addition, they need some vegetable food, such as scalded leafy and wild vegetables, algae leaves or dry food with vegetable ingredients (e.g. spirulina)

Only feed as much as will be eaten within a few minutes. A regular and varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.

Behaviour and compatibility

They must be kept in a harem, one male with several females. The territorial males behave very aggressive within the species. Keeping several harems is only possible in a much larger and richly structured tank. Socialization with other cichlids of similar size from Lake Victoria is possible.

Basically only compatible fish species with similar demands on water condition and water temperature may be socialized.

Sex dimorphism

The male is much more colorful than the female (sexual dichromatism) and carries egg spots on the anal fin. The female is usually smaller and inconspicuous silver-green colored

Reproduction and breeding

They are maternal mouth brooders. The female usually spawns on a flat, well-cleaned rock or similar. After the male fertilizes the eggs (20-40 of them), she immediately takes the female into her throat sac for mouthbrooding. She keeps the fry in her throat pouch even after they hatch. After about 2 weeks, the fry are released and brood care ends. During the entire brood care the female does not take any food.

Fry must be fed several times a day with special rearing food (Artemia nauplii). In community tanks breeding is hardly possible, because the fry are easy prey.

Important

The harem should consist of at least 4 females, so that the aggression of the male is better distributed.

The well-being of the fish should be checked regularly. The temperature should be checked daily, the pH, hardness and nitrate value at least every 14 days. Regular partial water changes are recommended, even if the contaminant level has not yet reached the upper limit. Sudden changes in water quality should be avoided. Newly introduced fish must be accustomed slowly to the water in the aquarium

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: BMELV (1998): Tierschutzgutachten - Haltung von Zierfischen (Süßwasser); RIEHL & BAENSCH (2004): Aquarien Atlas Bd. 3, Mergus Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF