Champsochromis caeruleus Breeding Guide

Breeding Champsochromis caeruleus, the Malawi Trout: a large open-water pursuit predator and maternal mouthbrooder spawned in a harem, brooding for three to four weeks.

Overview

Champsochromis caeruleus, the Malawi Trout, is a large open-water predatory haplochromine endemic to and widespread in Lake Malawi. FishBase gives a maximum length of 32.2 cm TL, and it occurs in open water and over both rock and open sand. It is a pursuit predator that feeds on fish, with a high trophic level of 4.2.

Sexing

The male is the larger and far more colourful sex, developing extended dorsal, anal and caudal fins that the females lack. The most strongly coloured, longest-finned fish in a group are therefore males.

Conditioning

As a pursuit predator, broodstock should be conditioned on a meaty diet such as prawn, mussel, cockle and lancefish. Recommended breeding water is pH around 8.2-8.5 and 25-27 C (77-80 F), with plenty of swimming space for this active species.

Breeding Setup

The species should be spawned in a species tank in a harem of one male with at least three females, in a very large aquarium furnished with flat stones and areas of open substrate as spawning sites. The harem disperses the male's aggressive pursuits.

Spawning Behaviour & Trigger

Champsochromis caeruleus is a maternal mouthbrooder that breeds in standard hap fashion. The male displays in intense colour around his chosen site; the female lays eggs there and retrieves them, with fertilisation occurring as she approaches the egg-shaped spots on the male's anal fin.

Egg & Fry Care

The female carries the eggs for three to four weeks before releasing the free-swimming fry. The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii from birth; some breeders artificially strip the fry from the mother's mouth at about two weeks to raise a larger number, since a stressed female in a community may otherwise release or swallow the brood early. Because the adults are predatory, released fry should be reared away from larger fish.

Common Challenges

Breeding has been achieved in the hobby but only infrequently, largely because of the very large tank required and male aggression during courtship. As a high-trophic-level open-water pursuit predator that ranges over rock and open sand, this species needs a great deal of unobstructed swimming room, which is the principal practical limit on breeding it. The holding female fasts while brooding, so good conditioning beforehand is important to carry her through the three-to-four-week incubation.