AFRICAN CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes ( Perciformes )
Family Cichlidae ( Cichlidae )
Subfamily ( Pseudocrenilabrinae )
Genus Pelvicachromis — Pelvicachromis.
— Pelvicachromis sacrimontis [Paulo, 1977] — Green Kribensis. (Eng. – Green Kribensis). Nigeria, on the border with Cameroon. Male 10 cm, female 7 cm. The main coloration is dark brownish-black, the belly is a contrasting cherry color. Iridescent turquoise spots on the gill covers. Pattern of spots on the dorsal and caudal fins is absent. The dorsal fin is rather pale, yellowish, often with a reddish tint. In the red “tie”, the male is just as attractively beautiful as usually only females are.
The female, when in a good mood, becomes very dark with silvery stripes along the body and blue cheeks. The female has a classic red belly spot during the spawning period. Females have a gray-black coloration of the front part of the dorsal fin, the fin tips are more rounded.
There are various color forms (these differences are present in males), green, yellow, and red forms are found in Lagos and Nigeria. The easiest way to distinguish P. sacrimontis from P. pulcher is to look at the dorsal fin. P. pulcher females typically have colored marks on the dorsal fin, which are absent in P. sacrimontis females, which have a yellow or dark dorsal fin.
The young live in groups, while adults live in pairs and occupy an area of one to two square meters in nature. Aggressive, especially females. Compatible with tank mates if there are plenty of hiding places and vegetation. Males defend the territory.
Lots of hiding places made of rocks, driftwood, and caves, and dense vegetation are needed. Moderate lighting. Ideally, soft acidic water. Live and frozen bloodworms, Artemia, daphnia, as well as dry foods are used for feeding. Parents care for the offspring. Fry grow very fast. T 23-26°C; pH 6.0-7.5.
— Pelvicachromis subocellatus [Gunther, 1871] — Gold Cheek Krib. Synonym: Pelmatochromis, Hemichromis subocellatus. (Eng. – Gold Cheek Krib, Yellow Krib). Africa, from Gabon to the mouth of the Congo River. Male up to 8 cm, female up to 6 cm. Depending on the geographical race and condition, coloration varies greatly. The body is elongated, moderately compressed laterally, the dorsal profile is curved more than the ventral. Terminal mouth, thick lips. The coloration is truly magnificent, especially during the breeding stage. The back is brownish-green, flanks are olive to ochre. A dark longitudinal stripe runs from the snout to the tail.
The male is grayish-yellow with a dark net pattern on the body, turning brown in the middle and rear parts of the body. Each scale has a red-black rim, forming a reticulated pattern on the body. The lower part of the head, chest, and gill covers are yellow. Wide dark horizontal stripes may be visible depending on mood. Pectoral fins are yellowish, ventral fins are black. The upper part of the caudal fin has a red margin. The dorsal fin is reddish.
The male’s caudal fin is slightly rhomboid in shape and divided into two parts, the lower half is covered with thin vertical stripes, while the upper half is transparent with a pink edge, sometimes with black spots. Males are larger with more elongated and pointed dorsal, anal, and ventral fins. The male has a reddish belly. In males, all colors are more pastel and delicate.
The female is smaller, plumper, has a yellowish coloration, unpaired fins with golden patterns, all rounded. Belly and ventral fins are wine-red. Females are brighter, the lower part of the head is golden and their belly is red-purple. The head is canary yellow. Gill covers are iridescent yellow-gold. The caudal peduncle is dark yellow, with black spots on the rear half of the dorsal fin.
The belly turns bright carmine, purple, or brown, while the front and back parts of the belly become saturated black. The female’s color keeps changing, shifting in some places from olive-brown to black-blue, and in others through all shades of green. During the spawning period, the female does not have a constant color, but changes it every minute.
The fry is yellow-brown. By spawning time, all these colors change, and the male, unlike most other fishes, becomes completely pale pink at this time, while the female, on the contrary, becomes so beautiful and brightly colored that it is impossible to describe her coloration.
An albino form is known. Color morphs exist: — P. subocellatus “Matadi”. Stocky body with an oval rounded head, in males and females the caudal fin is somewhat rounded. Females have a large red spot in the central part, surrounded by a white coating; — P. subocellatus “Moanda”.
An original feature of theirs is grunting, resembling the sound “rrr…” made by both female and male. This grunting is always produced in the dark. Fishes are aggressive towards their own species, males establish a territory with a cave in the center. The aquarium should have a sufficient number of caves (more than the number of pairs), tough-leaved plants with a strong root system. Caves should be built so that the base stones lie on the bottom, because the fish undermine the substrate.
They stay in the lower and middle water layers. Can be kept in pairs in a community aquarium and with fish species occupying the middle and upper water layers. Various flakes, softened pellets, and live or frozen bloodworms are used for feeding. Sexual maturity at 8-12 months. Spawning both in a community and spawning aquarium in a pot or coconut shell, the entrance should only allow the passage of the fish.
In the absence of a cave, fish eat the eggs laid on a stone. As soon as the parents lead the fry out for a walk, other males must be removed, otherwise they will not leave them alone. Other fish species are not chased so persistently. dH 5-20°; pH 6.0-7.5; T 23-26°C.
— Pelvicachromis taeniatus [Boulenger, 1901] — Nigerian Red Krib, Striped Kribensis. Synonym: Pelmatochromis klugei. (Eng. – Nigerian Red Krib, Striped Kribensis). Nigeria, Niger River Delta, Cameroon. Males up to 8, females up to 6 cm. Variable species. Coloration is not so bright, very pleasant golden-greenish tones with bluish sparkles and a beautiful ornament on the caudal fin. Each scale is rimmed with dark brown, creating a reticulated pattern. The fish are most beautiful during the breeding period.
The male is olive to golden-yellow, scales of the upper body with a dark rim, belly from yellow, bluish to greenish colors. A dark stripe consisting of 4-6 irregular spots runs along the body. Along the lateral line, scales shimmer blue. The dorsal fin is yellow to red, with a red-white border. In the male, the dorsal fin is long, gray with a silvery edge. Anal and ventral fins at the base are red-blue to dark blue, then purple. The lower half of the caudal fin is with purple-blue hatching, the upper with 2-4 black dots and a black-red border.
The female has a bluish-purple belly coloration, and she has a brown-black lateral stripe along the body from the head to the tail, dorsal fin with 1-2 black spots, tail rounded with 1-2 black spots in its upper part. The female’s body is taller, the purple spot on the flank is brighter and larger, the border on the dorsal fin is wide, golden.
There are over 20 color morphs in nature: — P. taeniatus “Bandewouri”; — P. taeniatus “Bipindi”; — P. taeniatus “Dehane” — Males with red gill covers, yellow belly and front part of the dorsal fin, anal and caudal fins are red. Caudal oval, edged with gold. Fins of females without pattern, belly has a pleasant blue color with a purple tint; — P. taeniatus “Kienke” — In males, belly and gill covers are yellow, anal fin with a red border and golden dorsal fin. Its caudal fin has three black spots and is bordered with red in the upper part. Females have a cranberry belly color, yellow gill covers and a dark spot on the yellow dorsal fin; — P. taeniatus “Kumba” — In the upper part of the caudal fin has one black round spot;
Identification: Pelvicachromis taeniatus.
— P. taeniatus “Lobe” — Yellow males covering the entire body. In other groups, yellow color is only on the gills and belly. Anal and caudal fins are reddish. Females have a bluish-gray belly; — P. taeniatus “Lobe Red” — Grayish-brown males with red caudal, anal, dorsal fins and gill covers; — P. taeniatus “Makoure”; — P. taeniatus “Molive” — Males have yellow cheeks and belly, females have purple bellies, black ventral fins and many small dark spots on the upper part of the caudal fin and the rear part of the dorsal fin; — P. taeniatus “Muyuka” — Males and females generally orange – light brown. Caudal and anal fins of males are red with blue stripes, have three spots in the upper quarter of the caudal fin, the remaining three quarters are occupied by vertical red and blue stripes. Females have one dark spot on the tail and pinkish-purple bellies;
— P. taeniatus “Nange” — Its caudal fin has only one small black spot at the top, bordered with red; — P. taeniatus “Njanje”; — P. taeniatus “Ndonga”; — P. taeniatus “Nigeria Green” — Male coloration consists of a mixture of metallic green, red, purple, and gold colors. Its elongated dorsal fin has shades of red and yellow, anal fin is purple or green, and caudal fin ranges from bright yellow to orange with dark spots and faint stripes. Females have a red mid-body and a bright yellow throat; — P. taeniatus “Nigeria Red”. The main coloration of the male is light brown, the dorsal fin is longer and sharper than that of the female, caudal fin with a black spot. The female is bright yellow in the lower part of the head, and she has a black lateral line from the head to the caudal fin, a black spot at the end of the dorsal fin. During spawning, the female’s belly is bright red, the dorsal fin is metallic gold. Males have a bright purple anal fin and edge of the dorsal fin. Has a red throat and gill covers;
— P. taeniatus “Nigeria Yellow”; — P. taeniatus “Nyete”. Cameroon, greenish males, much greener than any other P. taeniatus, yellow throat. The upper edge of the caudal fin in males is red, and a thin red border of soft rays of the dorsal fin. Females have one spot in the soft rays of the dorsal fin, a characteristic whitish belly, which turns purple when excited; — P. taeniatus “Nyong”; — P. taeniatus “Wouri” — Are the most beautiful among all Pelvicachromis. Females have golden dorsal fins and iridescent golden spots on the back, raspberry-red belly, yellow gill covers. Males are solid greenish-olive, gray-brown, have a large elongated black spot in the upper part of the caudal fin, bordered with white;
Peaceful, but can be pugnacious during spawning. Males can kill a female not ready for spawning. Compatible with tank mates if there are plenty of hiding places and vegetation. Fish can be kept with any peaceful fish. Aquarium with hiding places, rocks and driftwood, densely planted with plants. Substrate of sand or fine gravel, they explore the bottom for food and also dig pits during the breeding period. Coconut shells, bamboo tubes, clay pots, and other cave-like decorations are used as spawning sites. Can quickly dig a shelter for themselves under a stone.
Lighting diffused by floating plants, as they do not like bright light. Water is very soft, if pH is above 7.4, success in breeding cannot be expected. Moreover, in alkaline water they lose coloration and are susceptible to infections and diseases. Poorly tolerate high concentrations of nitrogen compounds, therefore weekly water changes are necessary. Fed live and frozen foods, get used to artificial food.
Females spawn in a cave made of stones or a ceramic flower pot with a small opening where only the female fits, can dig a nest under stones. Parents care for the offspring for about a month. At the age of about two months, their adult coloration can be seen and they can behave quite aggressively towards each other. Juveniles with the appearance of a characteristic black horizontal line should be separated. It is noted that when breeding in water with a pH of about 5, males predominate in the offspring (up to 90%), and at a pH of about 7, females (90-95%). dH 3-12°, up to 20°; pH 5.4-7.2; T 23-26°C.
Identification: Pelvicachromis taeniatus.
Genus Schwetzochromis, Genus Stomatepia.
Pelvicachromis humilis, roloffi, rubrolabiatus, signatus. 
