Occurs around Likoma Island and along the Mozambique coast
between Mala Point and Tumbi Point. Also present at the
southeastern point of Thumbi West Island, where it was
introduced during the 1970s.
Typical adult size:
Up to 13 cm (males) and 10 cm (females).
Recommended aquarium size:
An aquarium volume of 300 l and a minimum tank length
of 120 cm are recommended.
Aquarium setup:
Provide abundant rockwork with numerous hiding places
to allow weaker individuals to retreat and reduce
intraspecific aggression.
Diet:
Herbivorous; feeds by scraping algae from aufwuchs
and searches for relatively sediment-free patches
of biocover on rocks.
Aggression:
Aggressive within the species, but generally tolerant
toward other species.
Special notes:
Member of the romandi group. Occupies the same ecological
niche as Tropheops sp. ‘red fin’ in more northerly
regions of the lake and closely resembles it in
behaviour. Females lack a black submarginal band in
the dorsal fin, which distinguishes them from those
of T. sp. ‘red fin’. Territorial males occur at shallow
depths, recorded down to about 3 m at Likoma,
and population density is reported to be high
compared with known populations of T. sp. ‘red fin’.
Photo gallery