Edit Labeotropheus trewavasae

You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.

Name

Scientific name

Labeotropheus trewavasae

Described by

Not recorded

Family

Cichlidae

Summary

Trewavas' cichlid, Labeotropheus trewavasae, is an mbuna endemic to Lake Malawi, living around rocky shorelines and islands with heavy alga…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

113mm, standard length

Tank size

Minimum length 90 cm, Minimum depth 45 cm, Minimum height 38 cm

Water

Temperature and pH

Temperature 24–28°C, pH 7.6–8.8

Hardness

10–25dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Territorial

Community suitability

Not recorded

Where it lives

Countries

Not recorded

Supporting text

Etymology

Not written yet

Distribution

Endemic to Lake Malawi. It is widespread in the lake and is found at many localities including Masinje Rocks and the Maleri, Namalenje, Thumbi West, Mumbo, Nan…

Habitat

It inhabits rocky areas with heavy algal growth around shorelines and islands. In the upper levels of these the water is often turbulent and has a high oxygen …

Aquarium size

90 ∗ 45 ∗ 38 cm36 ∗ 18 ∗ 15 in - ~154 litres~41 US gal

Maintenance

Much of the aquarium should contain piles of rocks arranged to form caves with small areas of open water between. A sandy substrate is best and the water shoul…

Water conditions

Temperature: 24 – 28 °C75 – 82 °F pH: 7.6 to 8.8 (8.0 is ideal). Hardness: 10-25°H

Diet

L. trewavasae will accept most foods offered but vegetable matter in the form of spirulina flakes, blanched spinach etc. should form a large proportion of the …

Behaviour and compatibility

Aggressive and territorial. It should not be kept with peace loving species such as Peacocks or Utaka but it can be combined with other Mbuna. The tank should …

Sexual dimorphism

Males have clearly defined egg spots on the anal fin. In females these are much fainter or absent completely.

Reproduction

Possible. Maternal mouthbrooder. It should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male and at least 3 females. A 48" aquarium is a good size and should…

Possible. Maternal mouthbrooder. It should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male and at least 3 females. A 48" aquarium is a good size and should be furnished as suggested above. Provide some flat stones and areas of open sand to act as potential spawning sites. The pH should be around 8.2-8.5 and the temperature 25 – 26.5 °C77 – 80 °F. Condition the fish with plenty of vegetable, live and frozen foods.

The male will clean and then display around his chosen spawning site, showing intense colour to attempt to entice females to mate with him. He can be quite aggressive in his pursuits and it is to dissipate this that the species should be spawned in a harem. When a female is willing, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs, after which she picks them up in her mouth. The male has egg-shaped spots on his anal and the female is attracted to these. When she tries to add them to the brood in her mouth she actually recieves sperm from the male, thus fertilising the eggs.

The female may carry the brood of 10-40 eggs for up to 3 or 4 weeks, before releasing the free swimming fry. She will not eat during this period and can be easily spotted by her distended mouth. If a female is overly stressed she may spit out the brood prematurely or eat them, so care must be taken if you decide to move the fish, in order to avoid fry predation. It is also worth noting that if a female is away from the colony for too long she may lose her position in the pecking order of the group. We recommend waiting as long as possible before moving a female, unless she is being harassed. Some breeders artificially strip the fry from the mother's mouth at the 2 week stage and raise them from that point as this usually results in a larger number of fry.

The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii from birth.

Editing needs JavaScript. This is the text as it was last saved.

Where does this come from?

My own experienceFor example, I've kept twelve in a planted 60 cm tank since March 2024.A website I sawFor example, an IUCN Red List assessment, a museum catalogue or a FishBase page.A paperFor example, Marshall et al. (2011), Water temperature differences in interfluvial palm swamp habitats of Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. simulans.A book, or something not onlineFor example, Tappin (2010), Rainbowfishes: their care and keeping in captivity.Something already on the profileFor example, the Behaviour and compatibility section already says this.

Web address

Paste the address of the page that says this. What counts as a source

DOI

Paste a DOI and we will look up the rest of the reference. A DOI looks like 10.11646/zootaxa.4694.4.1, and most papers print it on the first page.

Title

Enter the title of the paper, book or page. If you leave it empty, we will use the website's address.

Authors

Separate authors with semicolons, e.g. Tan, H.H.; Ng, P.K.L.

Year

Journal or publisher

Pages

Enter the page that says this, e.g. 218 or 218–221.

Anything worth adding

Describe what you saw, or which part of the source says this.

Notes

This species has the characteristic overhanging snout possessed by all three members of the genus. It also has chisel-shaped teeth which are designed for scrap…

References

No references

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Tank size

Water

Temperature and pH

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries

Supporting text

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References