AFRICAN CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae
Genus Pelvicachromis
They inhabit the waters of West and Central Africa, in the estuaries and lower reaches of rivers, and even in coastal enclosed brackish water bodies. Their natural habitats include densely vegetated shallows, semi-swampy river areas with an abundance of submerged trees, and undercut banks with protruding roots of ancient tropical trees rich in underwater caves and grottoes. Lush coastal vegetation, consisting of dense shrubs with foliage hanging over the water, creates an ideal environment with very minor daily temperature fluctuations.
Some species show a degree of aggressiveness, but for the most part, these are fairly peaceful fish. Fish are aggressive towards their own kind; males establish a territory with a cave in the center. Breeding pairs display particularly aggressive behavior. They stay in the lower and middle water layers. They can be kept in pairs in a community aquarium and with fish species that occupy the middle and upper water layers. Provide plant thickets, driftwood, stones, and caves (more than the number of fish pairs). It is recommended to keep representatives of the genus Pelvicachromis in good quality water with a maximum aquarium water temperature of 25°C. Warmer water significantly shortens their lifespan. They do not like strong water currents in the aquarium. Ideal food is low in fat and protein.
Breeding is not difficult if you have a well-matched pair. Eggs are laid on a hard substrate. All species of the genus form a family in which the female alone takes care of the eggs and fry. During this period, the male’s main role is to guard the territory. Water: soft, dH 3-12°, up to 25°; pH 6.2-7.8; T 22-26°C, salinity 1-5% if necessary.
A characteristic feature of this genus is that many species have numerous color variants. The genus Pelvicachromis can be roughly divided into two groups. First, we have species with relatively rounded snouts, such as — P. pulcher, — P. roloffi, — P. subocellatus, and — P. taeniatus. These fish typically grow up to 8 cm for males and 6 cm for females. However, since all cichlidae grow throughout their lives, older and well-fed aquarium specimens can significantly exceed these figures.
In contrast, wild specimens barely reach these sizes and achieve sexual maturity in the wild at a length of 4-6 cm. The second group of Pelvicachromis is characterized by a long snout. It includes, for example, such species as — P. humilis, — P. rubrolabiatus, and — P. signatus. On average, these fish are larger than their smaller cousins (8-12 cm) and are significantly more aggressive in the aquarium.
— Pelvicachromis pulcher, kribensis. [Boulenger, 1901] — Kribensis, or common krib, purple cichlid. Synonyms: Pelvicachromis sacramontis, Pelmatochromis pulcher, aurocephalus, camerunensis, pulcher kribensis. (English: Krib, Kribensis Cichlid, Niger Cichlid, Purple Cichlid, Rainbow Krib). Inhabits forest waters and brackish water areas in West Africa, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon. Male 7 cm, female 5 cm. The dorsal profile is arched more than the belly. The front part of the head, with a terminal mouth and sloping forehead, curves slightly downward, resembling a parrot’s head. Lips are thick.
The kribensis has a beautiful and variable coloration (there are several color morphs differing in the amount of yellow and golden color). Yellow-brown or blue morphs are most common. The upper body is dark green, the body is greenish with a bluish tint, and the lower part ranges from reddish to carmine red. Two dark longitudinal lines (one along the dorsal ridge, the other along the entire body from the lips to the end of the tail) are set off by the light background of the body: yellowish in females and light cream, almost white, in males. The back is dark.
Opercles feature blue-green strokes and a black spot. Pectoral fins are dark purple at the base, greenish further down with a red border; the tail is greenish with brownish-red dots and a black upper edge. The anal fin is purple with a black border, and the pelvic fins are black and blue. The caudal fin is rounded; its middle rays are often elongated, giving it a diamond shape, and its upper part is decorated with black spots in a narrow gold border.
Their number is individual and can range from one to seven. The dorsal fin, edged with orange along the outer edge, also has several black marks that sometimes merge into a solid line. Pelvic fins are milky-lilac. The anal and especially dorsal fins are pointed and elongated to the point of reaching almost the middle of the tail.
Females are smaller and distinguished by a red-purple belly. The female is very beautiful in her breeding dress: fins are spread like a fan, the belly glows with a bright purple spot, a golden stripe with a black border burns on the dorsal fin, two coal-black spots adorn its tip, and the first rays of the pectoral fins are sky-blue. Fry are gray in color with a wide dark stripe along the body.
Sexual differences: • male – turquoise spot on the opercle, caudal fin is pointed with 4-6 oval black spots, pelvic fins are greenish, dorsal and anal fins are pointed with a red-brown border; • female – smaller and fuller than males, fins are more rounded, caudal fin appears truncated, wide golden edge on the dorsal fin with 2-3 dark spots at the tip, pelvic fins are reddish. There are fewer spots on the dorsal and caudal fins (up to 4), or none at all. The belly spot in females is not pale pink but bright crimson and appears at an earlier age.
A variable species, several color varieties are known: — P. pulcher “Aureocephalus”. Males are yellowish, head and opercles are greenish-golden, a blackish stripe stretches from the eyes to the tail. The dorsal fin at the base is dark yellow-olive with a metallic sheen, dark red strokes along the fin rays, surmounted by a golden sheen; the rear half of the fin is intensely red, elongated rays have a light yellow edge and red lining. The anal fin is soft purple, pelvic fins are light blue, tail has 4 black spots and a red border. The head and opercles of females are glossy golden, belly has a red-purple spot; — P. pulcher “Blue”; — P. “Camerunensis”. Coloration is similar to P. “kribensis”, but more intense. During spawning, males have a blood-red belly, chest, and opercles up to the lips. The lower part of the tail is yellowish. A dark stripe runs along the body, with 3 light vertical stripes in the upper body. Pelvic fins are red, with a blue border in the male.
— P. pulcher “Gold”; — P. pulcher “Green”; — P. pulcher “Isokpo” – from Nigeria; — P. pulcher “Kribensis”. Upper body is brownish with blue to violet glints, sides and belly range from blue to violet with a greenish sheen. A dark longitudinal stripe runs along the back, another clearly visible in juveniles runs along the body. Males have 1-5 dark, light-yellow-rimmed round spots in the upper part of the tail. Pelvic fins are wine-red in females, purple in males; — P. pulcher “Ndonga” – inhabit only the Ndonga River in Cameroon. Males have a lanceolate or diamond-shaped caudal fin. Both males and females almost always have a black horizontal stripe on the body. During courtship and spawning, both develop a bright round red spot in the lower abdomen;
— Р. pulcher “Nigeria”. Both males and females almost always have a black horizontal stripe on the body. During courtship and parental care, the female has a bright red round spot in the lower abdomen. The female’s caudal fin is always rounded. — P. pulcher “Orange fin”; — P. pulcher “Red” – The male’s lower body from head to anal fin is pinkish-red. There are no spots on the caudal fin; — P. pulcher “Red blue”; — P. pulcher “Super red”; — P. pulcher “Yellow” – from Nigeria; An albino form exists — P. pulcher albino (light body, red eyes).
In a community aquarium, they get along with any other fish, whether other cichlids, barbs, labyrinth fish, or tetras. Peaceful fish, though intraspecific aggression is noted during spawning. These fish stay in the lower and middle water layers. Keep in an aquarium with various shelters – plant thickets, driftwood, stone caves, and ceramic pots (if shelters are insufficient, fish dig pits under plant roots or stones to hide).
Males establish their territory with a cave in the center and guard it. Adult fish that have lived separately for some time do not get along well together, so it is advisable to introduce young fish into the aquarium. Kribensis form permanent pairs. While young, they live amicably. However, with the onset of sexual maturity, the situation changes.
From carefree swimming around the aquarium, males move on to purposefully searching for a future spawning site, defining their territory boundaries, and defending them from competitors. The center of the male’s domain is a cave, grotto, flowerpot, coconut shell, or even just a ceramic tube with an inner diameter of 3-4 cm. If every male finds a shelter, territorial division happens quite quickly and is accompanied only by sluggish skirmishes.
With a shortage of caves, the fight for possession is longer and harsher. In the complete absence of shelters, males begin to dig pits in the substrate, stirring up silt and uprooting plants. Shelters should be placed at least 20-30 cm apart in areas as far away from the feeder as possible, so as not to provoke aquarium inhabitants into invading the territory of a pair raising offspring.
Lighting is diffused. Substrate – fine and medium gravel. They live with equal success in soft, slightly acidic water and hard, slightly alkaline water. In soft, peat-filtered water, fish feel better and their colors are brighter. The main thing is that the water is clean and fresh: an excess of organic matter makes fish sluggish and causes them to lose color saturation. Aeration, filtration, and water changes are mandatory.
Omnivorous; vegetable supplementation is mandatory. They can even be fed dry foods, but live or frozen foods are better. Plant-based supplements, including dry spirulina-based foods, positively affect the growth and development of the fish. Lifespan in the aquarium is up to 8 years: dH 6-20°; pH 6.0-7.5; T 22-26°C.
They mature at 9-12 months. Spawning can take place in a community aquarium. Once formed, a pair should not be separated later. Rearing fry in a community aquarium is possible. Placed in a general aquarium, kribensis do not harm other inhabitants while driving them away from the occupied territory. The stimulus for spawning is a temperature increase of 2-3°C and replacing 15-20% of the water volume with fresh water. It is better to offer the pair two or more shelters in different parts of the aquarium so that the fish can choose the most suitable one themselves.
Nest arrangement takes 1-3 days and mainly consists of cleaning the “working” surfaces. The female enters and lays about a dozen eggs up to 1.5-2.0 mm in diameter. Then she leaves the nest, making way for the male to fertilize the eggs. This cycle lasts 1-2 hours, alternating between active and quiet phases. As a result, a compact rounded clutch, usually consisting of 100-120 eggs laid in a single layer, is formed on the inner surface of the cave (usually on the walls or vault). After spawning, the female stays inside the pot and does not leave it, even to grab food dropped into the aquarium. The male stands watch outside, fiercely attacking any boundary violator.
After 2-3 days at T 24-26°C, tiny pot-bellied larvae appear, hanging on the shelter walls for a few more days. The completion of the larval stage and the transition of juveniles to active feeding is indicated by their “coming out into the world.” In the first days, beige-colored fry with staggered dark specks stay in a tight school near the shelter entrance, busily poking their snouts into the gravel – this is their first hunt, targeting protozoan organisms living on the substrate surface. They grow quickly: within a couple of days, young kribensis can be fed Artemia nauplii and small cyclops. To ensure that at least a small portion of this delicacy reaches the fry, other aquarium inhabitants must be heavily fed beforehand or frozen crustaceans should be used.
After spawning, the pair securely guards the fry, preventing other fish from approaching them. The parents, sometimes just the female, guard the offspring. The parents lead the fry around the aquarium for 3-4 days, herding them into shelters at night. The fry constantly stay in a tight school under the female’s belly. The male is nearby, guarding them. When other fish approach the guarded zone, he becomes aggressive and rushes to meet them, making it clear that this is his territory and it is unsafe for other fish to be there. Upon seeing a fiercely determined male, any fish, even a large one, usually retreats. At night, the whole family except the male hides in the shelter.
Starting food for the fry can include freshly hatched Artemia and cyclops nauplii, and hard-boiled egg yolk. If pH is 5.5 during reproduction, males will predominate in the offspring (about 96%); at pH 6.1 there will be about 52%; and at pH 6.9 females predominate (about 80%). By three months of age, the 2-3 cm fry are already miniature copies of their parents, and their spotted coloration is replaced by the striped adult pattern. Soon the belly turns pink, and spots begin to appear on the dorsal fin and tail.
Identification: Kribensis — Pelvicachromis pulcher.
Pelvicachromis humilis, roloffi, rubrolabiatus, signatus.
Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, nicholsi, philander. 
