Humpback cichlid
| Humpback cichlid | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steatocranus casuarius pair |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Steatocranus casuarius | ||||||||||||
| Poll , 1939 |
The humpback cichlid ( Steatocranus casuarius ) is a freshwater fish from the cichlid family . Other German names are hump head cichlide, hump head perch, helmet cichlide and lion head.
Appearance
If there is sufficient food supply, the male develops a considerable pad of fat on the forehead, which can become very imposing with advancing age. The female is often much smaller and only has a small hump.
Way of life
The humpback cichlid comes from the Congo Basin (Lower Congo , Pool Malebo ) and should not be confused with East African cichlids. He lives there in fast flowing rivers and in the calm zones of rapids in caves and hard plants. Because of this habitat, its swim bladder has regressed, which explains its jerky swimming style.
The fish is omnivorous and lives monogamous . It is a cave breeder and can live up to twelve years in captivity.
Aquaristics
behavior
The humpback cichlid spawns in caves such as stone structures and coconut shells. There he often looks out for hours and waits for food. If he has seen something (e.g. a mosquito larva), he grabs it at lightning speed and then immediately disappears into his cave. The fish can lose their shyness through habituation.
In order to feel comfortable in its shelter, the humpback cichlid begins extensive digging work immediately after moving in. Especially when there are offspring, it removes the plants within a radius of about 20 cm for better all-round visibility. This enables him to recognize possible enemies more quickly and thus better protect the brood. The fry remain in the cave for a long time after they hatch before their parents lead them through the aquarium . In the process, predators are kept away from the young fish.
You can keep the humpback cichlids in the community aquarium without any major problems. Neons and other small fish such as guppies or small tetra species are not considered prey and are only chased away if they get too close to the cave. Other perch such as Pelvicachromis pulcher ( purple splendor perch ) are also no problem if the aquarium is large enough that each perch species can form its own territory. In doing so, they make impressive threatening gestures at the border of the territory, especially with male conspecifics.
Aquarium
Humpback cichlids need a slightly acidic pH value , strong currents and oxygen-rich water. But a slightly alkaline pH value of up to 8.0 is also sufficient for your well-being. The temperature should be 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.
Since the humpback cichlid is a basic inhabitant and spends most of its time in its cave, even a relatively small aquarium from 60 cm in length can be considered sufficient. It is important to have a cave as a shelter that he can dig out. A dark ground is preferred. Socialization with other fish rarely causes problems. A sufficient supply of oxygen is important. Especially in high tanks with a small surface and little water movement, the fish can quickly die from a lack of oxygen.
literature
- Linke, Staeck: African Cichlids (Volume 1: Cichlids from West Africa) . Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 2002, ISBN 3-89745-102-6 .
Web links
- Humpback cichlid on Fishbase.org (English)
- Steatocranus casuarius inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Moelants, T., 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2014.