Cyprichromis pavo Breeding Guide

Breeding Cyprichromis pavo, a schooling open-water Tanganyikan cichlid. A maternal mouthbrooder that spawns in mid-water within a colony.

Overview

Cyprichromis pavo (Büscher, 1994) is a schooling cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo and at Kasenga in Zambia, living over rocky inshore areas at depths of about 20-50 m and feeding on copepods and algae. FishBase records a maximum of about 10 cm SL and IUCN status Least Concern. Like other Cyprichromis it is a maternal mouthbrooder that spawns in open water; this guide draws on the well-documented genus pattern where species-specific data are limited.

Sexing

Per Seriously Fish, in Cyprichromis the males are much more colorful than females, which is the practical way to sex them; mature males carry the bright body and tail coloration used in display.

Conditioning

As small-mouthed zooplankton feeders, Cyprichromis are conditioned on small foods. Seriously Fish quotes breeding parameters of roughly 24-26 °C (75-78 °F) and pH 8.0-8.5 for the genus, within the hard alkaline range typical of Lake Tanganyika.

Breeding Setup

Cyprichromis are kept and bred as a colony in a tall tank that provides open mid-water swimming space, since spawning takes place above the substrate rather than on it. Rockwork along the base offers the females places to deposit released fry.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Per Seriously Fish, males form three-dimensional breeding territories in open water, displaying and chasing females; spawning occurs in mid-water and the female collects the eggs orally. Clutches are small, around 5-20 eggs.

Egg & Fry Care

Seriously Fish reports that the female mouthbroods for up to about four weeks, then spits the newly released fry into rock crevices; the fry take newly hatched brine shrimp from the day they are released.

Common Challenges

Because the eggs are few and the fish are open-water spawners, vertical swimming space and a stable colony are important, and the small fry must be matched with appropriately tiny first foods. As a less common Cyprichromis, keeping it apart from other species in the genus avoids hybridization.