Bumblebee Cichlid (Pseudotropheus crabro) Breeding Guide

Breeding Pseudotropheus crabro: sexing the colour-changing bumblebee, harem setup, a three-week mouthbrooding hold yielding a small brood and fry care.

Overview

Pseudotropheus crabro, the Bumblebee or Hornet cichlid, is a robust mbuna endemic to Lake Malawi, most often found in large caves or near big boulders and reaching up to about 16 cm standard length. In the wild it acts as a cleaner for the kampango catfish, Bagrus meridionalis, and is also a maternal mouthbrooder.

Sexing

The species shows vertical yellow-and-black bumblebee bars and can rapidly change colour, which complicates sexing. Juveniles are brightly coloured and become darker on maturity, especially the males, so a settled dark fish that displays at a cave is most likely a male.

Conditioning

Condition the group well in stable hard, alkaline water within the species' maintenance range. Its natural diet includes the parasites and necrotic tissue of the kampango as well as catfish eggs, so a varied conditioning diet suits this more omnivorous mbuna. Well-fed females in firm condition that have established themselves among the rocks come into spawning condition most readily.

Breeding Setup

Provide a large tank with substantial rockwork incorporating caves and large boulders, reflecting the habitat where it breeds. A harem of one male and several females spreads the male's aggression, which is necessary for this rough, territorial species.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

In the wild this species is behaviourally specialised to raid kampango nests, persistently feeding on the catfish's eggs despite the defending parents; this egg-eating habit means fry of other tankmates are also at risk. When breeding its own kind, the female takes the fertilised eggs into her mouth at the spawning site in the typical mbuna manner.

Egg & Fry Care

The female holds the eggs and fry in her mouth for up to three weeks and then releases a small number of healthy fry. Because broods are small, rearing the fry separately in a grow-out tank improves survival.

Common Challenges

The fish's rapid colour change makes reliable sexing difficult, and its predatory, egg-raiding nature means it will consume fry, including its own if disturbed, and the eggs of tankmates. A large tank, a strong harem and removal of holding females or fry to a separate tank are the practical responses.