Tanganyika gold cichlid
| Tanganyika gold cichlid | ||||||||||||
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Tanganyika gold cichlid |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Neolamprologus leleupi | ||||||||||||
| ( Poll , 1956) |
The neolamprologus leleupi ( Neolamprologus leleupi , Syn. : Lamprologus leleupi ), also called gold cichlid, belongs to the family of cichlids (Cichlidae). Its home is Lake Tanganyika in Africa. It is very often confused with the elongated Tanganyika gold cichlid .
Neolamprologus leleupi can easily be confused with Neolamprologus leloupi due to its very similar name , but the two species do not look alike.
distribution and habitat
N. leleupi is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and only inhabits the littoral rock .
features
The body of N. leleupi is elongated with relatively long pectoral fins, the fins (except for the pectoral fins) can have a dark or light blue border. The color is a consistently bright yellow to orange. The bright color diminishes somewhat with age and a darker color sets in, especially around the mouth. The iris and a narrow stripe under the eye shimmer light blue. The sexes of the species can only be determined in adulthood and in the behavior of the animals. The animals reach a maximum size of 10 cm. There is a clearly visible kink above the eye, which can be used as a distinguishing feature from the elongated Tanganyika gold cichlid, which is missing this kink.
behavior
N. leleupi lives in the wild in both sexes as a loner that does not occupy territory, so roams solitary through the biotope and only enters into a temporary pair bond for reproduction and then also defends its brood (Konings, 2005). This distinguishes this species from the majority of the other Neolamprologus species. In nature the species reproduces as a cave breeder , but in the aquarium the animals spawn e.g. Sometimes also in quite open places (e.g. on the windshield close to the sediment). In preparation for reproduction, the male usually begins to dig a pit, often trying to undermine objects. Places that can be easily monitored are preferred, e.g. B. between larger stones and aquarium walls. The eggs are preferably laid on the ceiling or the walls and guarded by the female in the cave. The male protects the territory while the female fanned the brood with fresh water by even flapping her fins.
The young hatch after a few days and remain under the care of the female for a few more weeks. Rearing is easy. In order to help the female's willingness to mate a little, a multiple water change of approx. 20% of the tank's content has proven itself. In addition, you can lower the water temperature by 2-3 ° C for a few days and then bring it back to normal temperature.
attitude
It is usually recommended to keep only one pair of this species, even in larger tanks (Konings, 2005). Due to the solitary way of life, there are often arguments between male animals, e.g. But sometimes also between the sexes, or between female animals. You should pay attention to many caves and hiding places in order to give especially young fish enough refuge. The intense digging activities of the males during the cave construction can cause stone structures in the aquarium to collapse. When food is N. leleupi not very picky and accepts almost every dry, frost on or live food.
Likelihood of confusion
The Tanganyika gold cichlid used to be divided into the three subspecies Neolamprologus leleupi leleupi , N. leleupi melas and N. leleupi longior . N. leleupi longior is now regarded as a separate species with the name N. longior ( elongated Tanganyika gold cichlid ), but it is often offered in the aquarium trade as N. leleupi . N. leleupi melas is now only regarded as a color variant of N. leleupi , no longer as a separate subspecies.
swell
- Tanganyika gold cichlid on Fishbase.org (English)
- Hans-Joachim Herrmann: The cichlids of the old world - Tanganyika lake . Ulmer, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-8001-7940-7 .
- Ad Konings: The Back to Nature Handbook for Tanganyika Cichlids; 2nd edition 2005 Fohrmann Aquaristik AB; Translated by Gertrud Konings; Distribution of the German edition Dähne Verlag GmbH, ISBN 3-935175-32-9
Web links
- Neolamprologus leleupi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Bigirimana, C., 2006. Retrieved September 19, 2013.