Origin: Lake Tanganjika,
Localities/Morphs: The form in Australia closely resembles that photos from the Kambwebwe area by Konings (1998).
Maximum size: 8-10cm
Natural habitat: rocky areas
Natural foods/prey: mosquito and other insect larvae, feeds on invertebrates in algal growth.
Water chemistry in the wild: pH > 8.0; gH - > 8 ° kH - > 8 °.
Brood size: 10-20 eggs
Sexual dimorphism: none. Males
and females are almost identical. Some reports indicate the
female is generally bigger.
Breeding method: Secretive
cave spawner. My pair are housed in a standard 2′ tank (80
l). The tank has a thin layer of shell grit on the base, to
prevent reflections which startle the fish, and is furnished
with a mixture of slate and terracotta pots with entry holes
(see below). The slate pieces are positioned horizontally
with narrow (< 2cm) gaps between pieces. This fish seems to
dislike spawning in pot caves, I found this unusual as all
my other Julidochromis (and similar species) readily accept
pots or pot saucers as spawning sites. The pots, however,
are readily used used by C. popelini, who use them as
refuges when danger threatens.
The following describes a typical scenario where two lots of
C. popelini fry have been spawned one after the other. There’s about 50 or so fry, the older fry seem to be
leaving them alone (to date) but I’ll keep an eye on them.
Unlike the shell-dwelling N. multifasciatus, I’ve had problems
in the past with a few lamprologine “stepped breeding” cichlids
whose older fry see younger fry not as siblings, but as a quick
meal. This is particularly true for Lamprologus ocellatus and
Lamprologus meeli (hecqui) both of who require older fry to be
removed otherwise sibling cannibalism commences soon after the
younger fry emerge from the shell or cave.
A “rustic” style pot cave - Courtesy: Stotto.
Husbandry requirements
Minimum tank size: for a single pair 2′ - 3′. I use a single air-driven corner filter and this is more than sufficent.
Sex ratio: 1m:1f
Tolerance of conspecifics: Pairs will bully other individuals, to death, if hiding places (or sufficent room) are not provided.
Tolerance of heterospecifics: Poor. When breeding C. popelini are highly territorial and can keep significantly larger cichlids at bay.
Water chemistry in aquaria: hard alkaline water is ideal. Water changes of 25-30% should be performed at least fortnightly.
Temperature range: 23 - 28 ° C.
Foods accepted: Unfussy feeder - will accept flake, pelletted, frozen and or live foods.
Special requirements: none other than water chemistry.
References:
Linke, H. and Staeck W. (1996). African cichlids II: Cichlids from Eastern Africa. A handbook for their identification, care and breeding. Tetra Press.
Konings A. (1998) Tanganyika cichlids in their natural habitat. Cichlid Press.
