Divandu albimarginatus Breeding Guide
Breeding Divandu albimarginatus, a monotypic West African cichlid from Gabon and the Congo that, per FishBase, is a female mouthbrooder rather than a substrate spawner.
Overview
Divandu albimarginatus is a small West African cichlid and the only known member of its genus (a monotypic genus, described in 2000). It is native to the Republic of Congo and Gabon, recorded from the Kouilou-Niari and Loeme-Loukene basins (Congo) and the Nyanga and upper Ngounie basins and the Ogowe River (Gabon), in the middle and lower river sections of primary and secondary forest. FishBase records a maximum of about 12.1 cm SL and lists it as Least Concern (assessed 2009).
Sexing
Specific external sexing characters are not detailed in the consulted sources. In a polygamous, female-mouthbrooding system a single male is typically maintained with several females; a holding female is recognised by a distended throat and reluctance to feed while carrying.
Breeding Setup
- Water temperature: around 21-22 °C as recorded in nature (FishBase).
- pH: roughly neutral, about 7.0-7.5 (FishBase).
- Water: clear, soft, low-conductivity water (about 50 µS; transparency over 100 cm) reflecting forest-stream habitat.
- Stocking: a polygamous group, one male with several females, with cover and broken sightlines.
Spawning Behavior
According to FishBase, D. albimarginatus is a female mouthbrooder within a polygamous mating system and is possibly larvophilic, meaning the female may take up the larvae rather than the eggs at an early stage. The female carries and incubates the developing young in her mouth. Soft, clear, near-neutral forest-stream water is the appropriate environment.
Egg & Fry Care
As a mouthbrooder the female provides the parental care, incubating the brood orally and releasing free-swimming fry that can then take suitably small first foods. Detailed brood size and incubation timings for this species are not given in the consulted sources, so the female should be left undisturbed while carrying. The fish is a micro-feeder, consuming small animal and plant particles, detritus and aufwuchs, which guides appropriate fry and adult foods.
Common Challenges
The main challenge is matching its requirements to the correct reproductive mode: as a mouthbrooder it needs a calm group structure and undisturbed holding females, not the cave-and-pair setup used for substrate-spawning kribs. Soft, clear, near-neutral water and a quiet, well-planted tank support successful breeding.