Chromidotilapia sp. "Makondo"

[Randall]

Ovophilic vs. Larvophilic

Dear Neil,

Some Benitochromis species are ovophilic, while others are larvophilic. Some are immediate, while others are delayed. I've also observed some parents passing their eggs from one to the other at varying intervals.

Benitochromis ufermanni (formally Chromidotilapia sp. "Mondemba" are supposed to be immediate maternal ovophilic mouthbrooders, but my females tend to deposit their eggs on a piece of slate at substrate level or on a piece of wood 1-2 inches above substrate level and leave them there for an hour or more before taking them into their mouths. I've also seen males of this particular species picking up the eggs first and then passing them to the females.

Linke & Staeck notwithstanding, as for the Makondo fish, I don't actually know if they are ovophilic or larvophilic because my specimens don't seem to like peeping Toms. Nor do they read. Believe me, I've pressed the book up the aquarium several times, but they just don't seem to get it.

From what I've read and experienced personally, it seems that at least some Benitochromis and/or Chromidotilapia species may be in a transitional stage of mouthbrooding, presumably having started out as substrate spawners, and are simply not quite completely there yet. Contrast this capricious spawning behavior to the geophaginii of South America. Female "Geophagus" steindachneri, for example, pick up their eggs immediately after the male fertilizes them, and there they stay until which time the fry are free swimming and are released to feed. In comparison to our Benitochromis/Chromidotilapia species, this method of reproduction seems far more cut and dry and, perhaps, advanced.

Thank you.

Randall Kohn

 

[Neil]

Everyone,
Just thought that I would post about the results of my questions. They obvoiously were sharing in the duties, because there are now about 25 little ones swimming around mom and dad. This is the second day of free-swimming and the parents are doing a great job.
It is amazing, but there is now a spawn of P.t. "Lobes" and B.sp."Eseka" at the same time in a 26g. tank 8O with 2 other sub-adult humilus and some large WA tetras (as targets). I wondered if I was pressing my luck or not, but I had to try the experiment. Seems like it is working out OK, so far!
Neil

 

[Orchid]

Neil,

How exciting, you have a spawning of P.t. Lobes! Congradulations and good luck with all your fish babies!

 

[Neil]

Orchid,
Yes, I really like them too. I have sent Cichlids1 some pics of them with the little ones along with some pics of the sp."Eseka" and their little ones. The Lobes had a small (first) spawn. They are growing fast and have your name on them! After the holidays, I will be sending you some to replace your loss. You will have to grow them up a little, but I think that you will have fun doing it.
Neil

 

[Neil]

Here is an update:

It is amazing, but there is now a spawn of P.t. "Lobes" and B.sp."Eseka" at the same time in a 26g. tank with 2 other sub-adult humilus and some large WA tetras (as targets). I wondered if I was pressing my luck or not, but I had to try the experiment. Seems like it is working out OK, so far!

Both spawns and parents are doing well. I am down to 2 out of 5 tetras though! The makondo fry are speading all over the tank and mingle with the Lobe fry on occasion. The Lobe parents keep their fry close, but are not bothered by the Chromido fry coming over. however, the Makondo parents occasionally swim over and take some shots at the Lobe parents. Doesn't seem to do much, as the Lobes fight back pretty well. It is amazing to me that this Pelvicachromis species is fairing so well for so long in a small tank with a family of fairly large Chromidotilapia. All fry are easily 1/2 inch now and could all remain together in the tank, if I took all parents out. I just don't have a place to put them right now!
Neil

 

[Sam]

This is so cool y'all! I am new to apistogramma.com, and I am really excited about this great forum for the discussion of dwarf cichlids. I mostly keep and breed West African cichlids, but I also have some bichirs, syndontis, etc. I just so happen to have recently bought a pair of these fish, which were sold to me as Chromidotilapia batesi, color morph "Makondo". They were wild caught and were in a 20 long with another pair and some Alestes spp. at my LSF. They were kept in RO water so I had to carefully acclimate them to my new 125 (the water here has about the same PH as a limestone milkshake). They were pretty beaten up, the male had his mouth torn up and the female's fins were ragged. After a while in the peat filtered 125, they started to get a nice patten (much prettier than the Eseka color morph), and took up a territory among some root wood. They were in residence with a pair of common kribs, Anomalchromis thomasi (wildcaught), and a pair of Pelvicachromis taeniatus "Lobe", and some Congo tetras as dithers. About a month and a half after I got them, I was doing my regular water change with rain water. I noticed that the female would stay firmly inside her flowerpot/slate cave with the male guarding the territory outside, krib style. About a week later, the female came out, and I thought that any eggs had been eaten or fungused. But on the night of the 30th, I saw the female leading about thirty fry on a foraging mission around the roots. The male will guard the perimeter, and the parents will switch out every five minutes or so. The young are occasionally taken into the mouth, but quickly spit out. The young are also taken to a deep pit in the gravel when they are not foraging. The "Makondo" have the best parental care of any cichlid that I have ever spawned! Enjoy your fish, with soft water and a PH of 6-6.5, they will do great.

 

[Neil]

Sam,
Congratulations! Mine are now holding a second spawn. Things are really going to get dicy in the situatin I have them in now. However, it does help how good they seem to be with their parenting skills. The female is allowing the old fry to be right near her while she is holding. I was planning to get the pair out of there before this happened and let the fry mix with the Lobe fry. I am not sure what I am going to do now! 8O
Neil

 

[Randall]

B. sp. "Makondo"

Dear Sam,

Congratulations on your recent "Makondo" spawn, and welcome!

The next time, would you kindly note if your fish are ovophilic or larvophilic? Apparently, Linke & Staeks' accertion that B. sp. "Eseka" (formally C. batesii "Eseka") is a larvophilic mouthbrooder, as discussed in their book, is incorrect. Dr. Anton Lamboj reports that this fish is ovophilic. Unfortunately, neither Neil nor myself witnessed our fish spawning, so we don't know for sure.

Pending further study, there is a good chance that our "Makondo" fish is B. sp. "Eseka." Should the "Makondo" fish, however, prove to be larvophilic and not ovophilic, then that information may shed some light in determining whether or not it is indeed the same fish.

Heaven forbid you should lose one of your fish, please don't flush it. Preserve it so that it may be sent to Dr. Lamboj in Vienna. He has been doing significant work with chromidotilapiine cichlids for some years now.

Thank you!

Randall Kohn

 

[Florent]

Some Benitochromis are avaible in Europe

Ruinemans aquarium www.ruinemans.com have Benitochromis batesii, finleyi mungo, conjuctus (sold as Chromidotilapia muyuka) and Chromdiotilapia "makondo"

I was looking for informations about this fish and I find this topic.
I hope I 'll manage to gate some

 

[Randall]

B. sp. "Makondo"

Dear Florent,

Hello again.

I keep the Benitochromis species from Makondo, and they have spawned several times. I also have some very nice photos of them. Additionally, I have very specific collection information from the collector himself and from the US distributor. I'll make a deal with you: You tell me what I want to know about Divandu albimarginatus, and I'll tell you all you need to know about B. sp. "Makondo". Deal?

Please give my best to Michael Negrini.

Hope all is well with you.

Randall Kohn

 

[Randall]

Thanks Randall!

Benitochromis are generally maternal ovophile mouthbrooders

Are these not larvaphile mouthbrooders? At least that is what L&S say about C. batesii "Eseka", which is the same as B. sp. "Eseka". I am assuming that the reproductive scheme has not changed. Possibly just some specifics of how individuals of the species carry out their responsibilities.
Neil

Dear Neil,

Okay, so it's been 3 1/2 months, and I'm just catching this now. :roll:

Linke & Staeck's assertion that what is now Benitochromis sp. "Eseka" (formally Chromidotilapia batesii "Eseka") is a larvophilic mouthbrooder is incorrect. The authors may have incorrectly assumed that because B. batesii (discussed in their book as C. batesii "Kienke") is larvophilic then the Eseka form is as well. B. sp. "Eseka" is indeed ovophilic (Lamboj 2002).

Sorry I didn't pick up on this earlier.

Thanks!

Randall Kohn

 

[Sam]

Makondo breeding info

I might try a temp of 79-80, as this worked for me. I wouldnt worry too much about the hard water, as they bred in my central texas limestone aquifer water. In my experiance, the parents will chase the fry away after about two months, and will lose interest in them a couple of days before that. Good luck with this beautiful (at least the female is) fish!