male
Moliwe)
While doing my weekly cruise through the local shops I was struck
by the beauty of a lone pair of Pelvicachromis taeniatus
Moliwe
. Being a big fan of exotic west African cichlids, I
immediately purchased them, rushed them home and began the acclimation
process.
male
Moliwe
is one of ten color morphs within the P. taeniatus
species group. They are named for the collection site near the village
of Moliwe in western Cameroon. (Linke and Staeck). The males grow to
about 3-1/4 inches while the females attain a length of about 2-1/4
inches. The coloring of males and females is strikingly
different. Males have a body that is yellow with the scales forming a
prominent pattern. The bottom of the caudal fin is red with light blue
dots, but the top half is yellow with prominent black spots. The anal
fin is red with faint blue dots. The dorsal fin is edged with a thin
red line and the soft anterior portion has red spots. The female is
even more brilliantly colored. Her head is dark with yellow-gold
stripes. This color is also found in the dorsal and caudal fins where
there are a few large black spots. The upper body is dark with a
yellow band just above mid-body. The lower portion is lavender fading
into a rose pink. Her pelvic fins are almost black.
A well established heavily planted 20 gallon long tank was chosen as the nuptial suite for this stunning pair. Several pottery caves (lovingly constructed by my students) provided a choice of spawning sites. The only time the fish were visible was at feeding time (due to the dense plant cover), but they were greedy feeders. Their diet consisted of live brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, Daphnia, and the occasional flake. Temperature was 78F, and the pH about 6.8. The only dither/target fish were a couple of Siamese algae eaters.
female
Within a week the female no longer appeared at the front of the tank to eat. I took this as a good omen, and about 7 days later she was observed herding a large cloud of fry as they picked the substrate for things to eat. After startling my son with excited shouts to come and see the spawn, we gave the fry their first feast of newly hatched brine shrimp which they greedily consumed until their tiny bellies glowed with the salmon color of their meal.
I decided to leave the fry with the parents in the belief that they would fare better and grow faster, which they did. At one month of age they measured 1 cm. By now the female parent looked like she had swallowed a grape and her color had intensified. Thinking they were ready to spawn again I removed the fry to a rearing tank. The second spawn was observed ten days later.
Considering the shear beauty of this species, moderate tank requirements, and eagerness to spawn, I can’t think of a better choice for any aquarist wishing to propagate a cichlid. A biotope tank, say a 55 gal, with P. taeniatus, Congo tetras, bog wood, Anubias sp., Bolbitis, and a few west African killifish could be a stunning sight!
Reference: Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staeck, African Cichlids I, Cichlids from West Africa; pg. 161. Tetra Press, 1994