Benthocromis Tricoti is a cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganica and lives, in big shoals, deep in the lake. It’s reported to occur mainly between 100 and 150 (300 to 450 feet in depth) meters where rocky shore are going directly downward to the bottom while at spawning time they use to come close to surface (up to 65mt; 200 feet) where males start to look for a spawning site. Ad Konings (pers. com.) has found, at Cape Mpimbwe, a population whose males use to built up really big sand cones. It’s quite a big fish, where males can attain a total lenght of about 20 cm (about 8 inches, in size) plus long tail spinning while females remain consistently smaller. Tipical of those fishes is a slow gracefull swimming, mostly during spawning when, upon courting, the male opens his fins and mouth at his maximum in an, absolutely magnificent posture. In wild those fishes mostly feed on plancton while their reproduction behaviours show we’re facing a maternal mouthbrooder. No description of geographic morphs is, at the moment, available and, probably, there aren’t.

I got both my males abroad (Verduijn – Holland and MalTaVi – Germany) and small differences in body shape and colours can be reported; in detail one of them has lateral stripes a bit larger while the other shows gills and fins of a brighters yellow and a, generally, more tought size, that’s it.

After this short foreword I’ll report my experience with those fishes (and with their reproduction). My own experience is, for reasons detailed below, limited and more are the new questions rising from that than the answers acheived; this is because of the sudden death of the only female used to carry eggs till the end. I kept 5 specimens (2males /3 females) in a 650 lt tank (about 170 US gals), shared with 14 Cyathopharynx furcifer "Burundi" (10 cm in size; 4 inches) and a pair of Altolamprologus calvus "Zaire"; this is a good mix since all fishes are "using" different ecological niches.

Water chemistry shows, in detail: ph 8.5; GH 12; KH 9; electric conductivity of 350 microsiemens at 18° C (64,4 F); no nitrites at all. Previous experiences, in the same tank, with Cyprichromis leptosoma, Ophthamotilapia ventralis e Ophtalmotilapia nasuta were unsuccessfull because of their aggressivity, being B. tricoti absolutely a quiet fish with, a little, possible exception upon spawning. Tank set-up has been developed with B. Tricoti needs in mind and consists of two big groups of rocks (up to half of total water height: 60 cm; 24 inches) with a big, almost flat, rounded stone (about 35 cm in size; 14 inches) on their top. While feeding consists, mainly, of frozen brine shrimps plus flakes, grains and pellets foods. I got a pair in November 1993, then the second in February 1994 while third female has been, almost, a gift of my friend Franco Manes in March 1994.

In the beginning of April both males (at that time fully grown up) started to show their first courting behaviours and, at same time, first "figthing postures" between the two of them. In the end resulted a really odd division of the space with a male "ruling" the tank with light turned off (3 neon lamps), and the other with lights turned on (lightinig period is from 01.00 pm to 10.00 pm) after an increasing courting attitude upon the evening of May 31^th first spawning could, finally, be observed. Both fishes started to clean the, above mentioned, flat rocks then approaching the site with their belly where, suddenly (on the female!), the oviduct has appeared. Regrettably I was forced, for some reason, to go away and decided to turn lights off, hoping for spawning to "re-start" on next morning. As a matter of fact on next morning everything was looking "normal" but at feeding the females involved, the evening before, in spawning while swollowing a big flake food, "blowing" at the same time a big air bubble (most common to those fishes), "spitted" out of the mouth 2 tiny eggs (ivory white in colour). The spawning, then, had place, and the most critical, incubating period had started. Watching the holding female only a, really, small bulge was detectable in her mouth and eggs can be detected (guessed) only by her pretended "chewing", habit quite common in mouthbrooder. This habit was carried on in the following days making me sure that everything was going on correctly. Despite the fact I was feeding them sparingly ten days after the female spitted a tiny fry (larva) 6 mm in size, resembling an abissal "monstruous" fish: big head, protruding jaws, small body and tail and, most suprising, no sign of yolksac at all. So in only 10 days (at 25° C; 77 F) the yolksac was over! Netting the females and stripping her was difficult but, in the end, I managed to do it successfully. Results were poor: only three more newborns but, all the same, satisfying: at last reproduction of B. tricoti has occurred! I do suspect that while netting her the females has spitted other, possible, fryies The newcomers were housed in a floating hatchery, in the main tank, to allow plenty of water flow and feeded with just hatched brine shimps (naupliae) looking quite big for their mouths but swollowed with no difficulties at all, despite the fact fry weren’t able to get a correct swimming posture. I lost three of them in few days (I suspect for feeding troubles because after swollowing food their breathing started to be difficult and bellyies were emptying with some difficulties) the only survivor, instead, 20 days after spawning was resembing his mother in everything but size and was swimming freely. Feeding on black mosquito larvae and getting 5,5 cm in size (2,1 inches) in three months. Another spawnig took place on June 27^th (same female) with water temp of 27° C (80.6 F) and the result was 5 fry of about 8 mm swimming on their own with some difficulties at release. Once more only two managed to survive and grow up. Unluckily on the same day of their birth the female died, to my sorrow.

So far what I know, but still I have many questions on those fishes and their spawning habits:

• How it comes that larvae of 6/8 mm with no yolksac can develop almost completely in a fish living with no contact with substrate?
• Do they feed inside mouth? As a matter of fact females "carrying" newborns of 3 or 4 cm in size (1,1 to 1,5 inches) were catched in wild.
• What sense makes such a big mouth in larvae that can hardly swollow "just hatched" brine shrimps (naupliae)?
• How it comes that such a big fish "produces" so few eggs? Any way upon dissection really small groups of eggs were detected. Such an habit can be, easily, understand in a Tropheus considering the eggs size (almost double when faced to B. tricoti eggs).

These are only few of unanswered questions on B. tricoti I’m facing, but I hope other cichlids enthusiast will get to the goal, after having tried to spawn these stunning african cichlids.
 

Bibliography:

• Hacard J.P. (1990) Cyathopharynx furcifer ou le reve realise. RevueFrançaise des Cichlidophiles n. 100 p. 12. Juin 1990.
• Konings A.; Dieckhoff H.W. (1992) Les secrets du Tanganyika pp. 28, 36, 66.Cichlid Press (Ed. française Africa Marseille. France.)
• Kruter R. (1991) The giant featherfin. The Cichlid Year Book vol. n. 1 pp.4-6. Cichlid Press.St. Leon-Rot. Germany.
• Pryen P. (1993) Benthochromis tricoti. Revue Française des Cichlidophiles n.132 pp. 21-23.Oct. 1993.
• Smith M. (1993) A misterious visitor from Lake Tanganyika. Tropical Fish Hobbyst pp. 25-30May 1993. U.S.A.

A few words about Paolo Salvagiani (by Francesco Zezza) : Paolo is one of the most experienced "cichlidiots" in Italy (and this is not valid for Tanganyikan cichlids only - which happen to be his main interest). When he refers to stripping of the female you have to consider the framewrok of his work which was to breed an extremely difficult species like B.tricoti. Paolo is also one of the members of Hydra magazine (an excellent publication in Italian). Please contact the Author of this article for further information on B. tricoti.