Chindongo minutus
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| ( Fryer , 1956) |
Chindongo minutus ( Syn .: Pseudotropheus minutus ) is a cichlid of the genus Chindongo endemic to the East African Lake Malawi , which was described in 1956.
features
Chindongo minutus reaches a total length of 6.6 cm in the natural habitat and is therefore one of the smallest mbuna . The male has a light blue basic color and is marked by five strong, dark, vertical stripes. The female is pale blue in contrast to the male. A secondary sex characteristic of adult specimens are the larger "egg spots" in the anal fin in males . The dorsal and anal fins of the males are also drawn out longer.
Sexual Behavior and Brood
Chindongo minutus is one of the parent mouthbrooders that do not form pairs, in which the brood care is exclusively carried out by the female. During the mating phase, the female lays 20 to 50 eggs which it immediately takes into its mouth and which are fertilized during mating by the male's regular sperm delivery. After about 21 days, the fry are released from the mouth and then not picked up again by the female. At this point in time, they are fully developed, independent and already show territorial behavior that is typical of the Mbuna. You immediately look for an individual hiding place and defend it against fish of the same size.
Social behavior
Like all Mbunas, Chindongo minutus is a territory-forming and territory-defending cichlid. The females like to stay in the male territory.
nutrition
Like other cichlids from Lake Malawi, Chindongo minutus mainly eats the growth and biofilm of stones and small crustaceans.
Occurrence and habitat
Chindongo minutus is endemic to the east coast of Lake Malawi and is mainly found near Nkhata Bay . He was also found at Chitande Island and between Chilumba and the Mara Rocks. It lives at a depth of about 2 to 10 meters. The water temperature there is around 25 ° C, and the water is slightly alkaline (pH 7.5–8.0).
Care in the aquarium
The aquarium length should be at least 100 to 120 centimeters for maintenance. In order to compensate for the aggression of the male animal, a harem position is appropriate, ie only one male but at least two or even more females should be kept together in an aquarium. Chindongo minutus can be socialized with other cichlids from Lake Malawi. A mixture of vegetarian and protein-containing products as well as live food should be offered as feed. This fish is also sold in pet shops under the names Pseudotropheus pindani or Eisblauer Mulbrüter .
literature
- C. Maréchal: Pseudotropheus. In: J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, GG Teugels, DFE Thys van den Audenaerde (ed.): Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels 1991, ISBN 2-7099-1058-6 , Vol. 4, pp. 401-415.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Expert group report on the animal welfare-friendly keeping of ornamental fish (1999): Report on minimum requirements for the keeping of ornamental fish (fresh water). Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forests (BMELF), Department of Animal Welfare. Bonn. http://www.bml.de
Web links
- Chindongo minutus on Fishbase.org (English)
- Chindongo minutus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.4. Posted by: J. Kasembe, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2011.