Chromidotilapia guntheri

Chromidotilapia guntheri

Chromidotilapia guntheri can reach a length of about 12-16 centimeters. There are different populations of this species that can also reach different lengths. They have a long snout and eyes high in the head. The males have elongated fin tips, the dorsal fin has a red edge, the female has a black and white edge. De buikvinnen van het mannetje zijn lila tot roze. The species name refers to the discoverer Guenther. Similar species are Chromidotilapia finleyi and the Chromidotilapia batesii.

There are many synonyms for this species: Pelmatochromis belladorsalis, Hemichromis guntheri, Chromidotilapia guntheri guntheri, Chromidotilapia guentheri, Chromidotilapia guentheri guentheri, Hemichromis guentheri, Pelmatochromis guentheri, Hemichromis voltae, Hemichromis tersquamatus, Pelmatochromis pellegrini, Pelmatochromis boulengeri, Pelmatochromis loennbergi, Chromidotilapia guntheri loennbergi, Chromidotilapia loennbergi, Chromidotilapia guentheri loennbergi, Chromidotilapia guntheri loennbergii, Chromidotilapia bosumtwensis, Pelmatochromis kingsleyae, Pelmatochromis longirostris.

Origin

Chromidotilapia guntheri occurs in a very extensive area in the rivers of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Benin. Due to this wide distribution, the water values ​​where this tough fish is found vary widely from a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. This species is found in different types of water: from small creeks to large rivers, from very clear water to very dark water.

Diet

The Guentheri lives on small food particles that it sifts from the sand. In the aquarium it does well on a varied diet. They do prefer live or frozen food such as artemia, krill, mysis. Occasional spirulina flakes for much-needed vegetable food are recommended. The females can be recognized by the black spots in the dorsal fin and the black stripe on the pelvic fins, while in the males these are completely absent. The female also has a light red coloring on the flank.

Character

They are peaceful fish towards other fish species, but they are quite aggressive towards their own species. It is advisable to keep only 1 pair of them, otherwise some will be hunted to death. They are territorial and should not be kept together with other cichlids, but should be kept with, for example, Congo Tetras, Synodontis or Knifefish. They can even be very shy if the light is too bright. They swim in the lower and middle water layers.

Breeding Chromidotilapia guntheri

When spawning it seems as if this species behaves like a substrate brooder. However, once all the eggs have been laid and fertilized, the male takes the eggs into his mouth to incubate. After about 8 to 10 days of incubation, the fry are released. For some time to come, the fry can seek refuge in the safe mouth of their parents for protection. The parents protect the young for quite some time, some for up to 2 months. Immediately after release, the young can be fed with brine shrimp nauplii and dust food. This species is relatively easy to breed and has few demands on the water, soft or hard does not make much difference. The nests are quite large, producing about 100 to 200 young.

The Chromidotilapia guntheri can show some aggression towards conspecifics, but usually leave other species alone. However, an aquarium of at least 150 centimeters is recommended given the size of these fish.

Video

Author

Coby – J. de Lange

Copyright images

Gerry Verrier