Bumblebee Cichlid, Hornet Cichlid

[imagirlgeek]

Category:

African Cichlids, Lake Malawi

Common Name:

Bumblebee Cichlid, Hornet Cichlid

Scientific Name:

Pseudotropheus Crabro

Description:

If you are looking for an extremely dominant, aggressive cichlid, this is the fish for you. Despite it's aggressive disposition, it's a great fish but it's best to have a lot of rockwork and caves to allow other fish to escape.

An interesting note about the Crabro is that in the wild they share space with the Bagrus meridionalis (a 5ft catfish). The Crabro maintains it's yellow and black colors until they are ready to steal some of the catfish's eggs. At that time, it changes to the color black and sneaks into the nest to eat the eggs. Once it is full, it changes back to the yellow and black colors and the catfish is none the wiser.

Origin:

Lake Malawi, Africa

Max Size:

8 inches

Minimum Tank Size:

55 gallons

Swim Area:

All Areas

Life Span:

5 - 8 years

Temperature Range (F):

78F - 82F

pH:

7.8 - 8.6

Hardness (dH):

15 dH

Diet:

Omnivore

Additional Diet Information:

Not picky. Will take pellets, sticks, flakes, frozen foods, freeze dried foods, etc.

Gender Difference:

Dimorphic

Juvenile male and female are both yellow with black bars, but most adult males appear fully black. The male is usually larger than the female and has more eggspots.

Breeding:

Maternal Mouthbrooder

It is best to keep these fish 1 male: many female. The male will become extremely aggressive when spawning and will kill the female.

Temperament/Social Behavior:

• Aggressive, Active, Will eat smaller fish, Territorial, Aggressive when spawning, Males aggressive toward females

Common Diseases:
Availability:

Occasionally Available

Additional Information or Photos