Tropheus sp. Pemba

A colony of 12 or more of these cichlids can make an amazing display. They are very active and their personalities are a definite plus. They have individual behaviors from curiously lining up to watch the goings on in the room to 'dolphin-like' dancing antics when eating. Feeding time can be very 'wet' for their keepers, but makes this fish very fun and desirable. They also have a really interesting social structure that develops within a colony of tank mates. In the wild Tropheus are very aggressive with conspecifics, but are said to be less aggressive with other fish. In the aquarium their aggression level towards unrelated fish can vary depending on the personalities of the individual fish.

These hearty cichlids can be easy to moderate to keep as long as attention is paid to their diet and regular water changes are done. They can be difficult to keep if either of these tasks are neglected. These are rather expensive fish and they can be afflicted with the occurrence of 'bloat', a parasite that will cause blockage to the intestinal tract. This is a parasite that is believed to reside in the intestines of healthy fish, but can proliferate when the fish are under stressful conditions, exposed to too much salt, or fed an improper diet

Care Level: Moderate
Max Size: 12cm
Temperament: Aggressive
Minimum Tank Size: 150L
pH: 7.6-9.0
Temperature: 23-28c