Oreochromis alcalicusSoda Cichlid
Cichlidae · (Hilgendorf, 1905)
The soda cichlid, Alcolapia alcalica, is endemic to Lake Natron in Tanzania, a shallow soda lake full of hot, alkaline springs. The lake runs at pH 9.5-10.5 and 32-43.5 °C, and though captive fish can be acclimatised to more normal conditions, this must happen slowly, with the pH kept above 8.0 and the temperature at 28 °C or more. Exceptionally rare in the hobby, it excretes urea where most fish excrete ammonia, and periodically gulps air at the surface.
