1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Predatory; keep only with big robust fish in a huge tank.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Predatory; keep only with big robust fish in a huge tank.
Meaty foods: fish, shrimp and large cichlid pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Older males may develop a hump on the head; no other sex differences found in a source.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Substrate spawner (biparental guarders) · Hard
Probably a biparental substrate spawner; few details are known.
Buy 6 juveniles, grow them together and let a pair form; the pair will need a large dedicated tank.
500+ L tank with a sand floor, big stones or caves and wood, strong filtration and no small tank-mates.
Large water changes, varied protein foods and a pair that has settled in; they clean a flat rock or cave for spawning.
200-1000 eggs on a stone or cave roof, hatching in 3-4 days.
Parents guard eggs and fry for several weeks. Feed newly hatched brine shrimp, crushed flake and chopped worms; fry grow quickly.
A large cichlid from the middle Congo basin, reaching about 30 cm total length. It is the only member of its subfamily and its place in the cichlid family tree has long been debated.
French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin described this fish in 1900, originally in another genus. It is the only member of its genus and holds a special place in cichlid evolution. Studies place it near the base of the African cichlid family tree.
First described by Jacques Pellegrin in 1900.
8 facts checked with sources
Described by Pellegrin, 1900 as Paratilapia multidens. Only species in its genus.
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summary · Cichlid Room Companion: Heterochromis multidensLegacy has no family. Its relationships have long been controversial; morphology suggested a link to American cichlids, molecular work (Keck & Hulsey 2014) leans African.
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summary · Wikipedia: Heterochromis (cites Keck & Hulsey 2014, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 73:53-59)TL. Legacy says 40 cm ('40 cm or more' in story); no source supports that.
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summary · Wikipedia: Heterochromis (cites Keck & Hulsey 2014, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 73:53-59)No swimming level named.
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summaryLegacy has no range field (story says Congo basin, which agrees).
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summaryWikipedia cites FishBase for this. Legacy 'males larger, more colourful, long fins' not found in a source.
Wikipedia: Heterochromis (cites Keck & Hulsey 2014, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 73:53-59)Legacy 'substrate spawner; pairs guard the eggs' agrees, but FishBase says only 'probably'.
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summaryLegacy '40 cm or more' corrected to 29.5 cm TL; 'predatory' not supported by a source found (FishBase trophic level 2.8 suggests omnivory rather than piscivory, per fetch tool). IUCN: Least Concern (Moelants 2010).
FishBase: Heterochromis multidens summary · Wikipedia: Heterochromis (cites Keck & Hulsey 2014, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 73:53-59)