The Tanganyika shell-dweller ‘Lamprologus’ brevis has a lake-wide distribution and occurs in a few different geographical variants. ‘L’. brevis is the only cichlid known thus far in which both male and female reside in the same shell. In his article Ad Konings writes about the shell-sharing behavior in this diminutive species.
Vieja bifasciata is one of the many large cichlids found in Mexico and Guatemala. It is a popular aquarium fish, well-liked for its beauty, personality, and relative ease to maintain and breed. In this article Juan Miguel Artigas Azas presents a summary of the distribution and habitat, natural history, taxonomy, as well as aquaristic considerations for this majestic species.
Wolfgang Staeck writes about Nannacara taenia, the ‘Striped Nannacara’, which was the first member of the genus to be kept in the aquarium. Live imports arrived for the first time in Europe from South America in 1911 and it was described and named by Regan in 1912. Because of its small size and inconspicuous coloration it is easily overlooked but its rarity makes this diminutive dwarf cichlid highly desirable for the small planted tank.
For the average hobbyist, not much is known about Lake Kivu—a small rift lake that lies along the western branch of the East African Rift—and the haplochromine cichlids found there. Recently, Oliver Lucanus imported a grab-bag of cichlid species from Lake Kivu for members of the New England Cichlid Association. In Mike’s article he shares his experiences with this rare species which is likely to go extinct in the hobby unless efforts are taken to preserve it.
Pelvicachromis silviae is a colorful dwarf cichlid from Nigeria known for a very long time (50 years) as P. sp. aff. subocellatus. It was formally described in 2013 by the author Anton Lamboj who named it after his wife Silvia as a tribute for her support of his 40 years of work with West African cichlids. Anton’s article provides a wonderful gallery of photos and all the information you could possibly want for the successful husbandry of this species.
The Red Bishop strain of Tropheus is remarkable for its outstanding bright red coloration. In his article, Don Danko covers the origin of this rare strain, and how he now houses, feeds, and breeds them. Much of this information applies in general to the husbandry and keeping of all types of Tropheus. I think you will agree that the Red Bishop Tropheus are truly magnificent cichlids!
From us here at Cichlid News: Laif, Ad, & Wayne, be safe and enjoy your cichlids.
