Haplochromis sp. "Flameback" Care Guide
The Flameback is a Victoria-region haplochromine cichlid with a red dorsal stripe, growing to about 10 cm and brooding eggs in the female's mouth.
Overview
The Flameback is an undescribed haplochromine cichlid of the Lake Victoria region, traded as Haplochromis sp. "Flameback" and often associated with the Lake Kyoga system (sometimes listed as Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga Flameback"). Dominant males show a bold red-orange stripe along the back. It belongs to the family Cichlidae and is a maternal mouthbrooder.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Tribe: Haplochromini
- Trade name: Haplochromis sp. "Flameback"
- Status: undescribed species (Lake Victoria / Kyoga region)
Habitat
Hobby sources report the Flameback in the littoral zone of Lake Victoria and the Kyoga system, the transitional area between rocks and the open sandy bottom. The region's water is warm and alkaline. Wild Victorian-region cichlids have declined due to the introduced Nile perch (Lates niloticus).
Tank requirements
- Maximum size: about 10-13 cm (hobby sources / KB record)
- Temperature: 24-27 °C (hobby sources)
- pH: 7.5-8.5 (hobby sources, alkaline water)
- Rocky aquascape with open swimming space
- Keep one male with several females
Diet
In the wild the Flameback feeds on phytoplankton (diatoms and blue-green algae) plus some insect larvae and zooplankton, so a diet with vegetable content such as spirulina-based food supplemented with small frozen foods suits it in captivity.
Compatibility
Hobby sources describe it as only mildly territorial except when breeding, with most aggression directed at conspecifics; keeping one male with several females is recommended. It mixes with other robust Victorian-region haps and Synodontis.
Breeding
It is a maternal mouthbrooder; hobby sources report incubation of roughly 18-24 days and broods of about 12-16 fry carried in the female's mouth.
Conservation status
Wild Victorian-region haplochromines have suffered major population losses from Nile perch predation, making aquarium-maintained strains relevant to their survival.