Benthochromis Tricoti
Bentochromis tricoti inhabits the African Lake Tanganyika in the wild. The fish stay along the shoreline, with stony or sandy substrate, at depths of 80 to 130 m. Moreover, females prefer to stay in shallow water. Although these cichlids grow quite large, they feed on plankton in the wild. These fish are very rare to find in aquarists' collections.
The Benthochromis Tricoti has an elongated body. The eyes are large. The males have elongated fins and an attractive colouration that includes silver, turquoise and purple. A pair of lateral lines runs along the body. The male's tail plumage is elongated, like a thread, above and below. Females are silvery gray. Males are slightly larger than females. Under stress, the coloration darkens and black spots appear on the body. The size of the fish reaches 23 cm.
Benthochromis Tricoti is a gregarious fish with a crepuscular lifestyle. Keep them in a group of at least six in a species-specific or community aquarium with other peace-loving fish of the cichl family. Their relatively long body length requires an aquarium with a capacity of at least 400 litres and a minimum length of 1.5 m. Do not use snags as decoration. The fish are indifferent to plants. In the corners of the aquarium should be something like a pile of stones with slits in which fish could freely swim.
Water parameters: temperature 25-27° C, hardness dH 15-25°, pH 7,8-8,6. Requires filtration, aeration and a weekly change of 1/5 of the aquarium water with fresh water.
The aquarium menus include flake and granular food intended for cichlids, as well as live and frozen shrimps, cyclops and chironomid moths. The food is given once or twice a day.
Reproduction
Breeding Benthochromis Tricoti in aquarium conditions is not an easy task, but doable.
Benthochromis Tricoti, like many African cichlids, incubates eggs in the mouth. The male attracts a female to the spawning area, and after she sweeps out the eggs immediately fertilize it, after which the female collects all the eggs in her mouth and hides in the shelter. The eggs incubate in the female's mouth for 3-4 weeks, during which time she does not eat anything.
The fully formed fry, sometimes up to 2 cm in length, leave the mother's mouth.
The fry are fed with minced shrimp meat and mashed flakes 4 times a day.
