Pseudotrophies: varieties, choices and nuances of care

Pseudotrophies are endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. Aquarists all over the world are so fond of their unique appearance that they can now often be found in home aquariums. Consider what is interesting about pseudotrophies, what are their varieties and how to properly care for them.

Pseudotrophies are called fish belonging to the cichlid family (cichlids). They belong to a subgroup called "mbuna", which translates as "dweller of the rocks." This phrase gives an accurate description of the way of life of pseudotrophies, as they prefer to live near the coast, among the underwater rocks.

Appearance of a typical representative of these fish: a high body, flattened on the sides, large expressive eyes, well-defined lips, double-top teeth resembling a grater. Color and size vary by breed.

Now let's take a closer look at these amazing fish and learn a little about each species.

• Zebra. It is found more often than others. As the name implies, the color of these pseudotrophies is striped, and the stripes are usually blue-blue or brownish in color. However, among zebras there are also monochromatic representatives: blue, scarlet, canary yellow, snow-white. Females have spots instead of stripes, or they can be of the same color. The size of this variety does not exceed 10-12 cm.

• Fuscoides. The second name is brown pseudotrophyus. It is slightly smaller than the previous variety - up to 10 cm. However, it is in no way inferior in brightness: Fuscoides are painted in bright yellow, brown-purple, chocolate and lemon tones.

• Lombardo. It has a slightly elongated body, slightly flattened on the sides, high back.The male is colored yellow, ranging from golden to brownish. Some representatives have faint stripes on the sides. Unpaired fins have a bluish tint, small yellowish specks resembling eggs are visible on the anal fins, and a white border on the dorsal fins. Females and juveniles are colored differently: light blue with black stripes on the sides. The size of the Lombardo pseudotrophy is 13-15 cm.

• Elongatus. It has several subspecies: mpanga, chilosi, chevere, ornatus, neon spot. Color varies depending on the affiliation, however, almost all of them have dark stripes across the body. It is difficult to distinguish a male from a female, except in size and behavior: males are larger and more aggressive. In captivity, male elongatuses reach a maximum size of 14 cm, females - 9-10 cm.

• Saulosi. But this variety is characterized by obvious inter-sex differences: the male is colored bright blue with wide black stripes on the sides, the female is canary yellow, with pale stripes, and sometimes they are not at all. Interestingly, all fry are yellow at birth, and when they mature, only the main males turn blue. Those that are weaker remain similar to females. The size of the saulosi pseudotrophy is 9-10 cm.

• Aceus. Subspecies: itungi, luvala, ngara, dwangwa, mzuli. The color varies depending on the variety, it is bright blue, beige, black, there is a yellow tint on the fins. In the wild, this fish grows up to 10 cm, while in the aquarium it can grow up to 17-18. But despite such impressive parameters, the fish is quite peaceful, calm, gets along well both with representatives of its own and other species. Acei live in flocks of 5 individuals in a group.

• Sokolova (sokolofi, pindani). A bright and beautiful fish. Both sexes sport sky blue with a lilac hue. The fins have an inky blue border. Pindani have one peculiarity: when they are frightened, they begin to become covered with purple specks.

An artificially bred variety of Sokolov's pseudotrophyus - "The Snow Prince". The fish got this name for its snow-white color and smooth movements. The "prince" is an albino, not found in the wild. The eyes of such individuals are always bright red.

• Flavus. A handsome man, with his colors reminiscent of either a tiger or a bee. Black transverse stripes run along the bright yellow body. Females are colored slightly paler than males, juveniles are gray-yellow. In captivity, flavuses grow up to 8-9 cm.

• Polit. It has characteristic inter-sex differences: males are painted in a silvery-pearl color with a black muzzle, while females are golden-beige, not too remarkable.

• Sinners. Another variety where it is impossible to confuse a male and a female. Males are quite bright, have a bluish-lilac body with bright orange dorsal and caudal fins. Females are modestly colored - brownish-gray, brown stripes are slightly noticeable on the sides. The size of the fish is 13-14 cm.

• Interruptus. Beautiful cichlid. The color of the males is inky blue, bright blue spots are scattered along the top of the back and on the muzzle, the border on the tail and fins is white. Females are golden yellow, monochromatic. The fry are born beige.

• Brave. Also referred to as bumblebee cichlid or chameleon cichlid. The crab received these two names for two features: females and young animals have a black-yellow striped coloration and the fact that this pseudotrophyus has the ability to change its color. Such mimicry is very useful for a fish in the wild - the fact is that it is adjacent to the large campango catfish, which "allows" it to feed on parasites that attack its skin.The catfish gets used to the yellow-black color of the crab and does not recognize it in the dark color, which he “puts on” to eat the eggs of this very catfish! Here is such a cunning creature - the pseudotrophyus crab.

• Aurora. A very bright and colorful cichlid. Its scales are mauve in color with a hint of turquoise. The fins and abdomen are yellow. The size of the individual is 10-12 cm.

• Livingstone. Quite a modest representative among pseudotrophies. Its color is yellow-gray, there are yellow-blue individuals. The fins of males have a black and white edging. Livingstone size - 6-8 cm, maximum 10.

Whichever variety of pseudotrophies you choose for your aquarium, remember that it is advisable to populate all the fish at the same time so that the “owners” of the aquarium do not begin to oppress the “guests” when dividing the territory. It is also very important to create the necessary entourage: to plant underwater plants with strong roots and dense leaves, decorate the bottom with clay shards, stones, folding "caves" out of them, put a couple of snags - all this is necessary for the cichlids to rest and hide, how they do it in the wild.

When choosing "neighbors" for pseudotrophies, pay attention to cichlids of the same size - as a rule, they coexist well on the same territory. If flock formation is recommended, remember that there should be at least 3-4 females per male.

As for the volume of the tank, proceed from the calculation that 5-6 small fish (up to 10 cm in length) will require a container with a capacity of 60 liters. For larger representatives (10-15 cm), you will have to purchase a 100-liter aquarium.

Any cichlids are demanding on water quality. Its temperature should be kept at a level of 26 to 29 degrees, pH - from 7.2 to 8.5 units, dH - 4-20 °. It is imperative to install and configure the filtration and aeration system. You can renew about 30% of the water in the aquarium weekly - it will be more convenient for you and the fish than a full update once a month.

As for food, most of the pseudotrophies are herbivores, they gladly eat lettuce and nettle leaves, dandelion tops, spirulina and other algae. They also need protein - daphnia, cyclops, brine shrimp can become its source. Young animals are allowed to be fed with bread crumbs (it is advisable to take varieties of bread such as "Borodinsky" or "Stolichny").

Pseudotrophies reach sexual maturity at about 9-12 months. During the mating game, the female lays eggs on the ground or a flat stone, the male fertilizes it, after which the female collects eggs and bears them in her mouth. The incubation period is from 2 to 4 weeks, all this time the expectant mother is "fasting".

See below for details of caring for zebra pseudotrophies.