Tropheus sp. "Red Moliro"
Tropheus Moliro lives in the African Lake Tanganyika, off the coast of Moliro (Congo), for which it gets its name. The fish can be found among rocky shores, at the edge of sand dunes, at depths of 1-5 metres. The rocks heavily covered with algae, which is facilitated by the clear water and bright sunlight among which there are countless different micro-organisms that serve as the fish's main menu. These fish are very popular with aquarists. Like the other species in this group of African cichlids, they are strikingly colored. Experienced aquarists are recommended to keep these fish.
The head of the Tropheus sp. "Red Moliro" has a dark red or burgundy coloration. The pectoral fins and tail plumage are the same colour. The tail has a dark spot, which contrasts with the bright red coloration of the dorsal and anal fins and the fish belly. Males are larger than females. The genital papillae are small in males, larger in females. The size of the fish reaches 14 cm.
Tropheus Moliro, like all trophaeus, is an aggressive fish. In order to reduce their aggressive fervor, it is advisable to keep them in large groups of 12 or more specimens, with a predominance of females. In that case it is possible to keep the fish in the community tank together with other Tropheus species, e.g. Tropheus Moorii "ilangi" and Tropheus moorii bemba.
The fish require a large aquarium with a capacity of at least 400 litres. Many aquarists keep their fish without shelters by placing one large flat rock at the bottom. So place different shelters in the aquarium - a matter of personal preference. The different areas in the aquarium should not be demarcated, as intraspecific aggression may occur. Coarse-grained river sand should be used as substrate. Plants in the aquarium should not plant, as Trofeus Moliro with great appetite they all eat and no tricks in the form of planting stiff-leaved species will not help.
Water parameters: temperature 24-27° C, hardness dH 15-30°, pH 7,6-8,6. Water filtration and aeration are required, as well as weekly changes of 1/5 of fresh water.
The diet of the fish consists of chopped earthworms, shrimp meat, fish meat and bloodworms, but bloodworms should not be the main food and should be fed only occasionally. You can only feed the fish flakes and pelleted food containing spirulina. In any case, plant food should constitute at least 80% of the total diet of the fish. Carefully dosage the food provided, as the fish are prone to overeating.
Reproduction
Male and female form pairs only during the spawning season.
The male picks up a spot for the female to spawn and in every way begins to attract her to it, shivering with his whole body. When one of the females swims up to the male, they both begin circling over the spawning site. Then the female will hatch a batch of eggs and immediately collect all the eggs into her mouth. At this time, the male turns back to the female, displaying his anal fin with the releaser spots. The female tries to grab them and at this time the male emits a cloud of milk, the female opens her mouth and the eggs are fertilised there. In the female's mouth, for about 4 weeks, 7-20 eggs incubate. After the larvae hatch, they remain in their mother's mouth for another 3 days feeding on the substances contained in their yolk sacs. After this time, the fry leave their mother's mouth and swim in a friendly flock under her indefatigable control and swim to her mouth immediately in case of any danger.
From the first days of life, the fry are fed with artemia nauplii and grinded flake food.
The life expectancy of Tropheus Moliro under aquarium conditions is about 15 years.
