Xenotilapia flavipinnis Nyanza Lac

Origin and locale/variety: Nyanza Lac--Burundi, Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

Size: Adults are usually 2.0 to 3.5 inches in aquarium environment.

Sex differences: Males obtain a bright yellow coloration in the unpaired fins and facial region with a metallic purple/blue flank. Females are similar (perhaps a bit more subdued coloration) but almost impossible to distinguish from the males in the aquarium, except during breeding.

Aquarium behavior: Xenotilapia flavipinnis prefers a sand substrate and seldom leaves the lower portions of the aquarium. They are constantly searching and sifting through the substrate for food particles. Their erect-fin posture makes them a favorite among Tanganyikan enthusiasts.

Aquarium diet: X. flavipinnis readily accept most foods: flakes, frozen, micro-pellets, and live. A combination of flakes, micro-pellets and frozen food is recommended. Food that reaches the bottom is especially welcomed.

You Need to Know: Xenotilapia is a peaceful cichlid and can easily be bullied by Tanganyikan substrate spawners like Neolamprologus leleupi, Neolamprologus cylindricus and Neolamprologus brichardi. Upon arrival of smaller specimens, Armke's recommends that one have some type of micro-food available.

Compatability: Xenos (as they are often called) are best kept with other relatively gentle cichlids such as Paracyprichromis and smaller Tanganyikan shell-dwellers. Cyprichromis also tends to work well, inhabiting the upper regions of an aquarium where the Xenos seldom venture. The tankmates listed are recommended, but by no means the only possible options. At the time of this writing, here at Armke's we currently are housing a colony of Xenotilapia flavipinnis in the same 70-gallon tank with a group of smaller breeding Labidochromis caeruleus.

Observed spawning habits: Males will display for female's attention. A male will normally put on an elaborate show for the female, building her a rather small nest in the substrate. X. flavipinnis is one of the few bi-parental mouthbrooders; females and males take turns incubating the eggs. When breeding, the pair forms almost a perfect circle with their curved bodies.

Other information: One will rarely find any species of Xenotilapia in a standard live fish store. This is primarily because of the special care required by these fishes, especially when young.

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