Haplochromis nubilus

[Sam]

I saw a fish sold under this name at my LSF. The males were dark purple-black-red with vague black stripes and the females were light and silvery. I normally keep west africans, but these guys caught my eye. I know vics need hard, slightly alkaline water (PH 7.6, my tap water), and dark gravel, but little else. Do these fish need dithers?. Also, what is the conservation status of this species? Would 3 males and seven females be good in a 36 x 13 x 16 with lots of rocks and Vallisneria? thanks, Sam

 

[Fogelhund]

http://www.africancichlids.net/A_nubila/index.htm

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Balog_A_nubila.html

Make sure you get a pure strain, there are plenty of hybrids in the hobby. They are fairly aggressive, but with large numbers you should avoid some problems.

 

[Sam]

Thanks

Thanks for the info. I'm fairly certain that this fish is a pure strain, as it is probably wild caught. If there is no threat to this fish in the wild, then my tanks would be more useful stocked with more endangered furu.

 

[Fogelhund]

If someone trys to sell you Wild Caught Victorians, walk the other way. There hasn't been any commercial collections in years.

 

[Sam]

They are captive bred

The LFS where I spotted these fish is quite reputable. I had only assumed that these fish were wild because most of the stores stock is. I have since called the manager and he informed me that the A. nubilus were captive bred specimens.

 

[Fogelhund]

Nice to have a good reputable LFS. There are times when even the best intentioned people are fooled, and its good to asked questions.