Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip"
Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip" lives in nature in a lake located in the crater of the Xyloa volcano (Xiloá) located in Nicaragua, for which the fish gets its name. The fish swim at depths between 2 and 8 metres. These fish are very rarely seen in aquarists' collections.
Male Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip" have a striped colouration consisting of vertical alternating white and black stripes. The colouration of males becomes particularly contrasting with the onset of the spawning period. The fins are translucent and colourless. Males have a pronounced forehead. Females are smaller than males and yellow in colour. Males reach a size of 16 cm, while females rarely exceed 12 cm.
Paired housing. The aquarium should be spacious, with a recommended volume of 400 litres. Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip" is very aggressive and territorial. If the aquarium is large enough, possible to keep with Amphilopus other large cichlid species. If, however, the aquarium is not enough living space, then subordinate to other fish amphilopusami should not be, because then there is no confrontation between them, which may sooner or later end in the death of one of them.
Fine gravel or sand may be used as substrate. Place stones stacked at the bottom, so they form crevices in which the fish can swim freely. Plants should not be planted in the aquarium, as they will all be uprooted from the ground and torn to pieces.
Water parameters: temperature 23-27° C, hardness dH 5-30°, pH 6,0-7,5. Need filtration, aeration and weekly replacement of ¼ of the aquarium water with fresh.
In nature, the menu consists of crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish. In aquariums, the fish are fed live and frozen shrimp, bloodworms, flakes and pellets. The food is given once a day.
Reproduction
Spawning Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip" in the same aquarium, where they permanently live. Spawning stimulated by raising the water temperature to 30 ° C and substitute at least ¼ of the aquarium with fresh water.
Before spawning, both producers prepare a spawning site, which can be a ceramic pot placed on its side or the surface of a flat rock. Depending on her physiological condition, one female spawns from a hundred to several thousand eggs. Both producers take care of the clutch. The eggs incubate for 3-5 days, after which the larvae hatch out. After another 5 days, the fry begin to swim and feed.
The fry are fed with artemia nauplii 4 times a day.
The Amphilophus sp. "xiloa fatlip" has a life span of 8-10 years under aquarium conditions.
