Kaiser icons and other trophies. Breeding and caring for tropheus.
It so happened that the domestic aquarium industry, especially recently, has gravitated towards European fashion, and, as far as fish from the Great African Lakes are concerned, towards German fashion. Is it good or bad to follow the aquatic thoughts of another country? There is no clear answer. But in practice, the problem is that the aquatic community of cichlid lovers often sees the “Deutsche Mark” as a kind of standard. Not to mention the fact that he easily accepts various everyday and commercial names with German roots solely as scientific ones.
In the large East African Lake Tanganyika, along its Tanzanian coast, near the village of Ikola, representatives of the Tropheus genus live, beautiful black-coffee fish with a wide yellow stripe inserted into half the body. The hallmark of the species is the carmine grouse's edges.
Initially, the species was identified as Tropheus moorii - in honor of J. Moore, who organized two expeditions to the lake, which discovered there and brought to Europe a large number of cichlids, which were later systematized and described by the Belgian ichthyologist Georges Boulanger, who was in charge of ichthyological collections at the British Museum of Natural History.
Later, when it turned out that there were not just several species of tropheus in the lake, but also many geomorphs differing only in color, it was decided to supplement the traditional binary Latin name of the species with an indication of the place where the fish were caught, in order to avoid confusion. As a result, the species became known as T.moorii "Ikola".
It must be said that these beauties immediately made a great impression on cichlidophiles, especially lovers of the ichthyofauna of Tanganyika, for, although few in color, their bright, juicy, contrasting color. German aquarists admired the fish so much that in everyday communication they called it “Kaiser”, as if emphasizing with such a pompous title the exclusivity of the representatives of the species, which distinguished it from other trophies. Later it was noticed that such a nickname also promotes commerce, attracting the attention of buyers to the cichlid. As a result, the name stuck in everyday life.
It would not be amiss to recall that the systematic position of Moore's tropheus has remained stable for almost a hundred years since their description by Mr. Boulanger. However, in the mid-90s of the last century, Western ichthyologists suddenly remembered that this pretty geomorph still does not have a legalized zoonomenclatural status, and transferred it to the “spec” category: Tropheus sp. “black” Ikola... However, as often happens, such a measure did not lead to the unification of the name. On the Internet, this species of tropheus from Ikola is also found under other names: T.sp “Kaizer” or T.moorii var. "Ikola Kaizer". There are other options... And, naturally, the index “sp.”, which carries more of an academic rather than a practical meaning, is, according to established tradition, often ignored.
But let's return directly to the fish. So, let’s assume that a novice aquarist takes a liking to the incredibly attractive “kaisers” and decides to enrich his collection with them. What should he know?
Firstly, it must be said right away that, in my opinion, tropheus are not suitable as an additional decoration for a certain cichlid or “not so” reservoir. Rather, on the contrary: I recommend proceeding from the fact that Tanganyika endemics are the visual center of attraction around which the rest of the ichthyocomposition of the aquarium should be built. Perhaps this is due to some special manner of movement of the fish, or perhaps with other behavioral characteristics. Be that as it may, if the conditions of a particular aquarium are suitable for Tanganyika cichlids and the fish open up completely, they seem to outshine their neighbors, focusing the owner’s attention on themselves. And first of all, this applies specifically to elegant trophies. Moreover, it even applies to nursery containers with fry.
Secondly, and this is the main thing, when acquiring tropheus, you must fully understand the requirements of these fish for hydrochemistry, the volume of the aquarium, the feeding regime, the number and species composition of neighbors.
Let's start with the spatial characteristics of the aquarium in which tropheus are able to exist freely.
Previously, for many years, 200-250 liters were considered the lower limit, and only because more capacious “cans” were simply impossible to purchase. These days there are no problems with containers of any size and configuration, and the recommended minimum has moved another 100-150 liters. Naturally, in the direction of increase.
Why do fish, whose length does not exceed 10-12 cm, need such a large body of water? This is due to two features of all tropheus: increased demands on water quality and a clear preference for group living. The latter, again, logically follows from the behavioral characteristics of the heroes of my story. Meanwhile, as is well known, in a spacious aquarium it is easier to maintain biobalance, especially with poor practice of keeping tropical aquatic organisms, and at the same time, more fish can normally coexist in it. Taken together, the result is exactly what we need.
The preference for group keeping of tropheus is predetermined by the high intraspecific aggressiveness inherent in the genus. In a large group, the pressure of the leaders is reduced, and all specimens have the opportunity to fully display the full range of colors.
And this is an important factor. For example, “downtrodden” subordinate individuals of “ikol”, always persecuted by leaders, have an even dark color, either without a yellow field on the body at all, or appearing in the form of obscure yellowish veins. That is, a spectacular fish turns into a pitiful semblance of itself. And vice versa, as soon as the pressure weakens, the inconspicuous specimen literally blossoms before our eyes.
So the ideal situation is a pond with a capacity of, say, 400 liters, in which a dozen tropheus live.
How to decorate such an aquarium to highlight the beauty of the royal fish? At the very beginning of the acquaintance of domestic aquarists with tropheus, in order to “play off” the excessive aggressiveness of the leaders towards weaker competitors and females, only one technique was used: various shelters were built - from the bottom to the very surface. Later it was noticed that tropheus kept in nursery containers without any elements of arrangement show less aggression towards each other than their counterparts scurrying among fancy decorations. Gradually, keeping these fish without shelters became a priority and is now considered canonical.
An aquarium with trophies is decorated in a minimalist style: white coarse sand at the bottom and a few vertical natural or artificial decorations in the corners - that’s all. Perhaps in elongated vessels you can evenly distribute a couple or three large stones along the back wall: they will delimit the spawning territories of males.
The conditions for keeping fish are as follows: total water hardness from 10 to 20°dGH, pH 7.8-8.5, temperature 25 - 28°C. In principle, fish can withstand higher values, but feel noticeably worse.
A very important aspect is hygiene. The filter should be quite powerful - pump at least 5 volumes of the aquarium per hour. Water changes are carried out weekly, but not more than 25%. If the tropheus are sufficiently acclimatized and the water in the water supply is of adequate quality, it is permissible to top up directly from the tap. I have not noticed any negative reactions to this in my “ikols” either now or when I kept them and their relatives before. If the quality of what comes from the water supply is in doubt, you can use a household filter of the “Barrier” type, adding water through it with mandatory monitoring of hydrochemical parameters. We must not forget that “bad” water is one of the main reasons for the death of tropheus.
The second, no less important reason why an aquarist may lose his pets is an incorrect feeding regimen.
In nature, tropheus feed on algal fouling, scraping it from underwater rock ridges. To assimilate poorly digestible plant food, the tropheus body is equipped with an elongated intestine. To replenish the diet, plankton and, occasionally, the unwary fry of neighbors are used.
In captivity, an ideal replacement for the natural diet would be various flakes, chips and small granules with a high content of plant components. Just sprinkle it “from the belly”, in handfuls, even the highest quality food is not necessary. A slightly enlarged abdomen in fry and juveniles after a meal indicates that the fish ate “correctly.” But regular overfeeding can lead to the most dire consequences, including death.
If a mono-aquarium with tropheus seems boring to someone, then I would recommend other representatives of the Tanganyika ichthyofauna as neighbors for the fish. Small, attractively colored julidochromis, various shell lamprologus, and other endemics of this African lake, which do not form complex territorial family prides, may well revive the biotope reservoir.
Why not place tropheus of different morphs together, “charging” the aquarium with multicolor to the maximum? This, at first glance, attractive solution has tangible disadvantages. Firstly, the number of brightly colored individuals will still be limited by the usable area of the aquarium and the corresponding number of individual territories. At the same time, tropheus “left out of use” will not please the owner with their coloring. Secondly, when morphs are kept together, uncontrolled hybridization occurs. And if “crosses” from Malawian cichlids can be used for further breeding work, then the situation with Tanganyika hybrids is somewhat different. This is partly due to the fact that the intensity of natural hybridization in Tanganyika is very low. There are no many "transitional" forms characteristic of Malawi. We can say that Tanganyika is a conservative lake with established, mutually isolated populations, which, due to the huge basin of the lake and the long length of its coastline, practically do not intersect.
Unlike the elegant Malawian “mestizo”, Tanganyika hybrids are rarely attractive and are certainly worse than the original species. Selection work with them will most likely confuse the aquarist, because, as a rule, there are no successful traits that need to be consolidated in the offspring of the first generation.
Plus a long ripening period.
Plus increased requirements for living conditions. Plus quite low fertility. In general, in this case the game is not worth the candle.
It's time to talk about breeding tropheus. Since sexual dimorphism in “kaisers” is rather weakly expressed, the aquarist is faced with the question of how to distinguish “ladies” from “gentlemen”. Of course, the brightest and largest fish, occupying a dominant position in the group, will most likely be the male. What about the rest of the individuals? The most reliable way is to catch adult fish and, holding them in your hand, turn them upside down to examine the genital papilla: in males it is elongated and relatively narrow, in females it is more rounded and squat.
Gender determination based on external characteristics is also possible. The throat line in males seems to be pressed inward. Well, and the standard visual beacons: males are somewhat larger and a little brighter.
Tropheus spawning, although in general follows a typical circular pattern, still proceeds somewhat differently. My “icolas” actively move during the reproduction process, while trying not to leave the territory controlled by the spawning male.
Mating dances are picturesque and dynamic, consisting mainly of various calling movements. Spawning is portioned. Having chosen a certain plane, the female throws out a pair of eggs, which are immediately fertilized by the male, and takes them into her mouth. Moving slightly to the side, the couple repeats the process. At the end of spawning, the mother rises into the water column.
In breeders raised under normal conditions, the fertility is 8-10 eggs. If the fish developed in cramped conditions and with a poor diet, you should not expect more than 4-5 eggs from them.
The eggs are large, pear-shaped. The larvae are born with a large yolk sac.
Incubation lasts longer than in Malawians and can range from a month to 35 days depending on temperature conditions.
While bearing offspring, the female feeds herself a little with fine-grained food, but still loses weight, although without harm to her health.
However, if you want to relieve the parent of a burdensome burden, you can resort to artificial incubation. It is best to select offspring a couple of weeks after spawning: the larvae are already quite developed, and the subsequent “ripening” of the generation takes place without problems.
However, most females do an excellent job of this task themselves. The fry they release, in the presence of various-sized shelters such as a small pile of large-porous stones, successfully overcome the dangerous age and subsequently join the “family.” Although, of course, usually far from being in full force, especially if there are toothy neighbors in the aquarium.
In conclusion, I would like to say that “Kaiser Ikoly” and his fellow tribesmen are not just beautiful and interestingly behaved aquatic organisms. An aquarist who correctly understands his pets and feels them will receive invaluable pleasure from observing the “kaisers” and other trophies. And this is quite a worthy payment for some of their capriciousness.
