Ophthalmotilapia nasuta
Ophthalmotilapia nasuta inhabits Lake Tanganyika in the wild. The largest aggregations of these fish can be observed on the north-west coast, between Kigoma and Halembe and further along the south-west coast, around the lake from Isonga to Cape Kachese. The fish stay in shallow water along the rocky shores, in depths of up to 5 m.
A sort of calling card of Ophthalmotilapia nasuta is the nasal growth, which is larger and darker in males than in females. Males are larger and more colourful than females and have elongated fins. The maximum size of fish in the wild is 20 cm, while in aquariums, they usually do not exceed 15 cm.
An aquarium with a minimum volume of 300 litres is well suited for keeping fish. At the bottom of the aquarium should be placed stones of various sizes, and in the corners of the built of stones like caves, the size of which would allow the fish to swim freely in them. Also, provide space for the fish to swim freely.
Ophthalmotilapia nasuta fish are motile and require quite a lot of living space. These fish can be kept together with other peace-loving fish that do not tend to take a dominant position in the aquarium. Males are irreconcilable with each other, so the aquarium should be only 1 male and 3-4 females.
Water parameters: temperature 23-27° C, hardness dH 8-25°, pH 7,5-9,0. Requires good filtration with a biological water filter, aeration and a weekly change of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh.
Coarse-grained river sand can be used as substrate.
Ophthalmotilapia nasuta are completely indifferent to the presence of aquarium plants in the aquarium, so you can do without them, but if you still want to, you can plant shrubs able to grow in hard water, such as Anubias barteri and Vallisneria spiralis.
Most foodstuffs constitute the fish's menu, but protein-rich foodstuffs should be avoided. A vegetable food additive in the form of leaf lettuce, spinach or spirulina is also required. Feed the fish once a day.
Reproduction
If Ophthalmotilapia nasuta live in a separate species aquarium, it is relatively easy to achieve spawning.
It is important to have a sandy substrate in the aquarium. The spawning is stimulated by abundant feeding of producers with a variety of food. Before female spawning, the male digs a fairly decent size hole in the sand, which subsequently attracts the female. The female swims up to the nest, hatches the eggs and immediately collects them all in her mouth. She then swims up to the male's pelvic fins and at this time he emits a cloud of milk, thereby fertilising the eggs in the female's mouth.
The eggs are incubated in the female's mouth for 3-4 weeks. After this time, the fully formed fry leave her mouth. The female guards the fry.
The fry are large enough to feed on artemia from the first days of life.
