Labeotropheus trewavasae blue
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Scientific Name: labeotropheus trewavasae Price: Upon Request Origin: Africa; Lake Malawi Family: Cichlidae NOT AVAILABLE NOW |
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Other Names: Redtop Mbuna, Scrapermouth Mbuna, Trewavasae |
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Technical Info
Temperature: 26 - 28 ℃
pH: 7.9 - 8.3
GH: 18 - 23
Max size: 10 cm
Min Tank size: 100 Ltr
Position in Aqua: No special swimming level
Description
Labeotropheus trewavasae can be housed with other mbuna cichlids and are best kept with at least 4 females for each male.
Food
Labeotropheus trewavasae will accept most foods offered but vegetable matter in the form of spirulina flakes, blanched spinach etc. should form a large proportion of the diet. This can be supplemented with live and frozen varieties.
Breeding
Place several females for each male and use a higher temperature of up to 27°C. The eggs are laid on carefully cleaned rocks and then taken into the mouth of the female.
Compatible with
Aggressive and territorial. It should not be kept with peace loving species such as Peacocks or Utaka but it can be combined with other Mbuna. The tank should be overcrowded to reduce aggression and territory formation. It is very aggressive towards its own kind and the presence of heterospecifics helps to dissipate this. Similarly several females should be kept per male in order to reduce harassment by the male.
Note
This species has the characteristic overhanging snout possessed by all three members of the genus. It also has chisel-shaped teeth which are designed for scraping algae off rocks. These physical adaptations give it a competitive advantage, as they allow it to graze from rocks situated in very shallow water which other species cannot reach. The position of the mouth allows the fish to remain parallel to the rock surfaces, thus enabling it to cope with the turbulence in these areas.