Haplochromis nubila
Haplochromis nubila is naturally found in Lake Victoria, but unlike most cichlids found in this lake, this species is not actually endemic to Lake Victoria. Haplochromis nubila can be found in rivers and streams in the Victoria Basin and in Lakes Edward, George, Kachira, Nawakali, Kijanebalola, Kioga, and Nabugabo. These fish adapt quickly to different habitats and are known for their exceptional hardiness.
Haplochromis nubila is an aggressive species and is suitable for those aquarists who are willing to take the time and effort to learn the behavior of aggressive African cichlids. If you manage to create the right conditions for Haplochromis nubila, you will be rewarded with an extremely beautiful view of this fish. During the breeding season, males develop a velvety black body color with bright crimson-red anal and caudal fins. No other fish from this region has this coloration. Females have a coloration consisting of alternating shades of green and gray. Another difference between the sexes is that males reach 12 cm in size, while females do not exceed 9 cm.
Haplochromis nubila is a very aggressive fish, so this must be taken into account when it is kept. The aquarium must be a variety of shelters in the form of large rocks and grottos.
Water parameters: temperature 24-28° C, hardness dH 8-20°, pH pH 7,5-8,5. Requires filtration, aeration and aquarium fresh water change: ¼ of 2 times a week.
The menu of the fish consists of various food of animal origin: bloodworms, earthworms, artemia, dry flakes containing spirulina. The food should be fed once or twice a day.
Reproduction
The male Haplochromis nubila is a very aggressive fish, not only towards other males, but also towards females. When keeping fish is very difficult to get a friendly pair, so we have to keep the fish apart. This raises the question, but then how to breed fish?
In fact, there is a method that can be used in the breeding of fish. It is necessary to keep the female and male separately in aquariums set in close proximity to each other. If you just use a divider in the tank, the male will keep trying to jump over it or make a dig in the ground to get to the other side of it. Therefore, using two separate aquariums is the most appropriate option.
The aquariums with the female and the male should be placed so that they can see each other. When the male notices the female, he begins to show his contrasting coloration by fanning all his plumage. At this time, for those who are into photography, great pictures of the fish can be taken.
Now you need to wait until the abdomen of the female does not become rounded, and she will not show interest in the male behind the glass. There is no need to prematurely place the female with the male, as this will lead to a fight between them and serious injury. When the fish are ready to mate it is necessary to change ½ of the aquarium water in each tank with fresh water having a lower temperature. Carefully move the female to the aquarium with the male. if everything is done correctly, then spawning will begin in a short time. Once the female spawns and takes the eggs in her mouth, it is moved to a separate aquarium, where she will look after fry hatched and will not be subjected to violence from the male.
The fry are fed with artemia and micro worms.
The life expectancy of Haplochromis nubila under aquarium conditions is about 10 years.
