Q. I have Pseudotropheus zebra, Ps. lombardoi and Melanochromis johanni in my 55-gallon tank, and in my 29-gallon tank are young Julidochromis marlieri, J. ornatus, Chalinochromis sp., Lamprologus caudopunctatus and albino L. brichardi. Someone told me that the pH of the water can affect the sex of African cichlids. If this is true, and is it true for the species I'm keeping?

A. Sex ratios of fry can influenced by pH in some African cichlids — this has been reported for most of the West African dwarf cichlids of the genus Pelvicachromis and for one species of Nanochromis: N. transvestitus. There is also reason to believe that when kept at pH values in excess of 8.0, at least some Lake Malawi cichlids produce broods with a preponderance of males. This state of affairs has proven particularly troublesome for breeders of the so-called electric blue Malawi Sciaenochromis ahli.

There is no evidence that sex ratios are influenced by pH in any of the species you are presently keeping. Feed your fish well, keep up a program of regular partial water changes and you can look forward to a succession of broods with roughly a 1:1 sex ratio.

Mbuna Breeding
Q. I would like to know the likelihood of breeding mbunas in a community tank setting. What are the main things to be concerned with?

A. Mbuna live at quite remarkable population densities in nature, and have no observable inhibitions about spawning under far more crowded conditions than those in a typical aquarium. In fact, it can be argued that advanced mouthbrooding evolved in response to high levels of spawn predation inevitable in such situations.

The preliminaries to mbuna spawning begin when the male intersperses bouts of digging with intense courting of the female and persistent efforts to chase other fishes out of his breeding territory. Within 24 hours of the appearance of a short, blunt, white tube at the female's vent, she will follow the frantically posturing male into the spawning pit. After a period of reciprocal circling, the female expels a few eggs, which she immediately takes into her mouth. As the male tilts to one side, the female mouths the vicinity of his vent. This behavior triggers ejaculation, thereby assuring that the female takes sufficient sperm into her mouth to fertilize the eggs she is carrying therein. This process is repeated until the female has shed all of her eggs. Once she has reached this point, the female no longer responds to the male's courtship and is then chased out of the male's territory. When there is only a single pair or if the tank is too small, male post-spawning harassment may cause the female to eat her clutch and may result in injury to her, or death. In a community setting, the other fish provide a distraction for the male.

It takes 21 days at 82 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for the eggs to hatch for all Lake Malawi cichlids bred to date. While female mbuna will spawn in a community tank, they are much less likely to provide normal post-release care for their young in such an environment. Her reluctance to allow the fry to leave the safety of her mouth interferes with their ability to feed normally. To prevent this situation from arising, most breeders remove the offspring as soon as they are free-swimming.

The newly mobile fry are large enough to take newly hatched brine shrimp or finely crushed prepared foods for their initial meal. With generous feeding and frequent partial water changes, mbuna fry are easily reared and will grow quite rapidly. By three months, males of most species are larger in size and have larger, more clearly defined yellow to orange spots on their anal fins. Most species begin breeding at six to eight months.

Mbuna are popular, and thus there is a variety of literature available with information about them. For example, you will find information on these fish in my book, The Cichlid Aquarium, which is published by Tetra Press.

The Victorians
Q. I recently purchased a pair of Lake Victoria cichlids sold as Haplochromis "perarrae." The fish were about an inch long when I purchased them, and are kept in a 55-gallon community tank with about two dozen other small to medium-size African cichlids.

The pH of the water is 7.4, the temperature 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The tank is filtered with an outside power filter and an undergravel filter driven by two powerheads. I do weekly 25-percent water changes using a hydro-vacuum.

The pair is doing well and they are not being harassed by the other fish, but the male has lost the yellowish-green color he originally had, which I assume was his breeding coloration. Would purchasing an additional female increase the likelihood of breeding this species successfully? I have been unable to find any information about this fish or Lake Victoria cichlids in general.

A. On the basis of both your description of its color pattern and the name it was sold under, your Lake Victoria cichlid is, in all probability, Haplochromis (Prognathochromis) perrieri (Pellegrin 1909). This species is a "dwarf" piscivore, growing to approximately 4 inches, not including the tail, and breeding successfully at about half that size.

In nature, this species is a specialist predator that seeks out the newly released cichlid fry of other species. Captive specimens can prey successfully on fish up to the size of a male guppy, but pose no risk to tankmates that are larger. Despite its feeding specialization in the wild, H. (P.) perrieri eagerly accepts all the usual prepared and frozen foods in captivity.

Like other Lake Victoria cichlids, this species prefers neutral to slightly alkaline, somewhat soft (1 to 5 degrees DH) water, and is highly intolerant of both dissolved nitrogenous wastes and prolonged exposure to temperatures in excess of 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Given your filtration arrangement and the maintenance regimen you are following, you should have no difficulty raising your specimens to adult size in the tank they are currently inhabiting.

Like all haplochromine cichlids studied to date, this species is a maternal mouthbrooder with a polygynous mating system in which a number of individuals participate in the spawning activity. While it is usually possible to breed this species on a single-pair basis in a community setting, it certainly would not hurt to have more than one female present.

Sexually active males usually excavate a nest pit adjacent to a rock or piece of waterlogged wood. Breeding territories average about 18 square inches. Males begin courting females up to a week prior to spawning, but lengthy bouts of chasing and displaying typically begin about 72 hours prior to actual spawning. At this point, the female grows extremely intolerant of the close approach of any fish other than the courting male. She also exhibits a sooty wash along the lower half of her head and body that is similar to the male's breeding dress.

Spawning follows the classic Haplochromis pattern in which the female picks up the eggs in her mouth as quickly as they are deposited, and then nips at the egg-shaped pseudo-ocelli of the male's anal fin. This attempt to pick up "phantom" eggs elicits ejaculation and assures that she will take sufficient sperm into her mouth to guarantee the fertilization of the eggs already present within.

Females are excellent mothers, and rarely have any difficulty carrying a brood to full term in a community situation as long as there is a reasonable amount of cover available in the tank. The developmental period is 14 days at 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Females removed to a separate nursery tank will release their fry at the appropriate time and defend them for 10 days post-release.

In a community setting, females will not release their fry. It is thus incumbent upon their keeper to separate mother and fry lest her excessively protective behavior result in their death from starvation. The newly released fry measure 10 to 12 millimeters total length, and can manage either Artemia nauplii or finely powdered prepared food for their initial meal.

With good feeding and regular, frequent partial water changes, the fry grow quite rapidly. The young can be reliably sexed on the basis of color differences by the 12th week post-release, and they attain sexual maturity six to seven months thereafter.

You can find a useful synopsis of information on the maintenance and breeding of Lake Victoria cichlids in my book, African Cichlids, distributed in the United States by Tetra Press.