pelvicachromis humilis

[scott]

a store in my area has pelvicachromis humilis available. i am interested in purchasing a group of these fish and eventually trying to get them to spawn. before i get any species that i have never had before i like to get as much info. on it as possible. i have some experience keeping(and breeding) the common kribensis. from what the owner of the store told me they are somewhat similar at least in regards to water parameters. could anyone give me information on what would be the best set up for these fish (tank size, ph, gh, kh, temp. etc.) i have a 20 long as well as a 10g both empty right now and i don't want them to stay that way for long. i'm not even sure if either would be large enough but my kribs seem to be happy in a 20 long.

 

[Randall]

Pelvicachromis humilus

Hello Scott,

Good for you for wanting to try your hand at keeping and breeding a fish that you're never tried before!

Although Pelvicachromis humilus and P. pulcher are assigned to the same genus (for the moment), P. humilus grows considerbly larger (4" for males) and has a more peppery disposition. I wouldn't house a pair of these fish in a tank smaller than 30 gallons.

In the wild, both species are found in soft and acidic water and are closely associated with aquatic plants.

For some really good reading, please refer to

Lamboj, A. 2004. The Cichlid Fishes of Western Africa, Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim. 255 pp. ISBN3-928819-33-X.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[scott]

randall,

thanks for the quick response. although these fish seem very beautiful and interesting i guess i am going to have to pass on them until i have larger accomodations available. my wife and I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with our 2 children (and 13 fish tanks) so we know what it's like to be cramped :lol:

 

[Randall]

Pelvicachromis spp.

Hello Scott,

Well if you have a second bathroom, you could always convert a bathtub for aquarium use! :lol:

If your heart is set on a Pelvicachromis species, you could try P. pulcher, P. roloffi, P. subocellatus, P. sp. affin. subocellatus, P. sacrimontis or P. taeniatus. All grow smaller than the members of the P. humilus species-group and are better behaved.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[tjudy]

One thing that I have found about the humilis types is that they form pairs pretty easily (though they do not breed quickly or frequently). I have been buying them in groups of sixes, but in each case there has been a dominant pair in teh tank almost immediately and i remove the other four. They are also very easy to sex. If I were buying from a store I would just buy the largest male and female that were there, or try to look for a pair that exists in the tank. If you know the store owner well you can ask to have a spawning pot place in the tank. Get a cup of coffee and watch for a while. The pair will soon take up residence. My fish start cleaning out pots within a few minutes of a water change/furniture rearrangement.