Astatotilapia burtoni Care Guide
Astatotilapia burtoni is a wide-ranging East African mouthbrooding cichlid of the Lake Tanganyika basin, widely used as a research model organism.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Astatotilapia burtoni, Burton's mouthbrooder, is a haplochromine cichlid described by Günther in 1894. It is widespread in the Lake Tanganyika basin and surrounding waterways. Dominant territorial males are brightly coloured while subordinate males resemble females, and males bear egg-shaped spots on the anal fin used in courtship. It is an important model organism for studying cichlid behaviour, development and genomics.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Astatotilapia
- Scientific name: Astatotilapia burtoni
- Author: Günther, 1894
- Common name: Burton's mouthbrooder
Habitat
According to Wikipedia and FishBase it occurs in Lake Tanganyika and its surrounding rivers and waterways across Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia, including the Lukuga, Malagarazi and Rusizi rivers and the Akagera system. Habitats include slow streams, river mouths and shallow lake areas near rivers; the water is warm and alkaline.
Tank requirements
- Maximum size: about 15 cm (5.9 in) SL; common length around 12 cm (FishBase)
- Temperature: 20-25 °C (FishBase)
- pH: 8.5-9.0 (FishBase)
- dH: 12-16 (FishBase)
- Sandy substrate with rocks; keep one male with several females
Diet
FishBase gives a trophic level of about 3.1, indicating an omnivorous forager of benthic and pelagic foods. In aquaria it readily accepts prepared, frozen and live foods.
Compatibility
Males are highly territorial and can switch between territorial and non-territorial states depending on the social environment. It is kept one male with several females and with other robust African cichlids and Synodontis, away from small dwarf cichlids.
Breeding
FishBase and Wikipedia confirm maternal mouthbrooding: females incubate and protect the eggs in their mouths for roughly two weeks, while males perform complex courtship displays using their anal-fin egg-spots.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. FishBase notes high resilience and low fishing vulnerability.
Astatotilapia burtoni Breeding Guide
Overview
Astatotilapia burtoni is a wide-ranging East African haplochromine found in Lake Tanganyika and its surrounding waterways across Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. It is a maternal mouthbrooder and a long-established model organism used to study cichlid behaviour and physiology, particularly the link between social dominance and reproduction.
Sexing
Males occur as two reversible phenotypes. Dominant, territorial males are brightly coloured and aggressive in defending a territory and play the active reproductive role; subordinate, non-territorial males are coloured like females and are reproductively suppressed with regressed gonads. Territorial males also carry higher plasma testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. A male can transform between states: losing a territory triggers a shift to the non-territorial type, with reproductive competence changing about three weeks later.
Conditioning
A stable social structure that lets a male hold a territory is essential, since only dominant males breed and gravid females prefer dominant over subordinate males. Condition the group on a varied omnivore diet and keep tankmates such that a clear dominant male can establish itself.
Breeding Setup
Provide a set-up in which a dominant male can claim and defend a spawning territory, with several females to spread courtship attention. A quiet location matters: exposure to excessive noise can cause a holding female to cannibalise or prematurely release her brood.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
A territorial male courts gravid females with body quivers and increased urination. The female pecks at egg-shaped spots on the male's anal fin; in response the male releases sperm and fertilises the eggs in her mouth. This pecking-and-fertilising sequence repeats until laying is complete. A male's dorsal-fin colour plays a key role in attracting females.
Egg & Fry Care
After about two weeks of buccal incubation the female releases her young. She then needs several more weeks to recover physiologically before spawning again. Released fry can be offered small first foods; keeping a holding female in a quiet, undisturbed tank reduces the risk of premature release or brood loss.
Common Challenges
Social disturbance is the main breeding obstacle: noise and instability disrupt male dominance and can cause females to abort broods. Maintaining a settled hierarchy with one clear dominant male, and minimising disturbance to holding females, gives the most reliable results.