Pungu Maclareni

[duncKeymaster]

QUOTE (Tommy)

Hello,
I have recently started work at Bristol Zoo in the aquarium section. One of our projects is to breed Pungu maclareni. I was
wondering if you know any articles that may help guide tank set-up etc. I understand there are only limited resources available
about this breed of cichlid and as such it may prove hard to breed them sucessfully. Any help would be brilliant,
Thanks,
Tommy

Any ideas ladies and gents?

#307522

[keith565Participant]

sorry, never heard of them till now. just googled them, nice looking fish.
i take it they are rare or endangered?

[mickthefishParticipant]

iv’e had a look on fishbase about this fish, you can try that see if you can get enough info on them.

mick

[MattKeymaster]

Extract from the Lamboj book:

Genus Pungu TREWAVAS, 1972

Monotypic genus; the single species is:

Pungu maclareni (TREWAVAS, 1962)
Originally described as Barombia maclareni by TREWAVAS (1962).

Distribution: Endemic to Lake Barombi-Mbo in West Cameroon; usually found in smaller groups in shallow waters at depth of 1-3m.

Description: Pungu maclareni reaches a length of about 12cm and has an ovoid body shape. The snout is somewhat rounded, with a small mouth. The lips are thick; the jaw teeth have a reddish tinge. The body colour is silvery-gray to yellowish with many irregular black spots arranged into two longitudinal rows; one row reaches from the opercle to the origin of the caudal fin, the other runs directly under the dorsal fin. Cheek and throat are completely black in most specimens. Numerous black spots and dots are found on the opercle, and at times the opercle may appear black. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are dusky, also exhibiting black spots. The anterior edge of the pelvic fin is black. Males tend to exhibit the black markings more intensely than the females. No Tilapia-spot is visible. Generally-speaking, both sexes are similar in size and finnage, though males may grow slightly larger.

Feeding: In the lake, this small maternal mouthbrooder feeds primarily upon sponges and, as a result, has specially-developed, muscular jaws. The species accepts an herbivorous diet, along with small amounts of insects and crustaceans.

Keeping and breeding in aquaria: In aquaria, Pungu maclareni is a peaceful fish and is easily kept in a community tank. In smaller tanks, the level of intraspecific aggression may lead to minor problems, but rarely leads to any serious injuries. As this species is fairly active, larger tanks with a minimum length of about a metre should be used. When feeding, I believe it is important to offer a diet containing a large percentage of roughage, e.g., (sic) an herbivorous diet; the species will often succumb to diseases of the intestine if the diet is too rich in fat. P. maclareni does not damage higher plants. Breeding follows the basic model of other tilapiine mouthbrooders, but disturbances during the actual spawning should be avoided as the species is very nervous during such times.

Hope that helps. /blush.gif” style=”vertical-align:middle” emoid=”:blush:” border=”0″ alt=”blush.gif” /> ) species profile here….Dunc shame on you boy for not checking! /tongue.gif” style=”vertical-align:middle” emoid=”:p” border=”0″ alt=”tongue.gif” />

[David MarshallParticipant]

Hey Tommy

If you are reading this reply what a lovely place in which you work. An article on Bristol Zoo aquarium can be found on the Ryedale A.S. website articles section at http://www.ryedaleaquaristsociety.co.uk as part of Bristol – 3 places of aquatic interest.

Regards David

[coelacanthParticipant]

How did the original request come through?

[duncKeymaster]

From the contact form on the front end of the website.

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