Yes, a peaceful fish, Copadichromis sp. Virginalis Gold, and what a gem this fish is.
Virginalis Gold has been found only in Nkanda in the northernmost part of Lake Malawi on the Tanzanian shore. The Gold’s were first seen in 1994. We saw the first photographs in 1995 and 1996. This fish really caught my eye.
Virginalis Gold are found at a depth of 36 meters and deeper. They are not much bigger than 7-cm to 9-cm total lengths. The body of this small utaka is laterally compressed and relatively deep. The tail and the caudal are considerably smaller than that of a similarly colored species found in the southern part of the lake and with which it has been confused, the Copadichromis sp. Virginalis Kajose or Gome Virginalis. The latter species can attain a total length of about 18-cm and is found in much shallower water than the deeper Virginalis Gold.
The coloration of ripe males resembles that of male Aulonocara Maylandi. The entire body is dark brown to jet-black, from the tip of the snout to the upper edge of the tail, running along the dorsal part of the body, there is a brilliant golden yellow band. Excited males exhibit black bars superimposed on the dark body. The anal fin, which is a very dark color, is adorned with 5 to 7 egg-spots, which are arranged like a string of golden pearls on the edge of the fin. The females are a gorgeous silver color with a black dorsal fin. Many other colors can be seen in the female when the light shines on them. Males, females, and babies are all beautiful to look at.
Because of the depth that these fish come from, I have reduced the light over the tank. I used a 40-gallon breeder tank. I used fine black gravel and placed a few stones in the tank, forming caves, which are frequently used, as shelter by males as well as females.
In the aquarium, males construct small spawning pits, often using the cover of a cave created by rocks. The spawning crater is not perfectly round and normally includes part of the stones, which give it protection.
As far as I was able to conclude from my observations of the spawning, which took place mostly inside the cave, the eggs are taken up immediately by the female and therefore probably fertilized inside her mouth. A 5-cm to 6-cm female released only 6 to 10 fry so far. That’s apparently why these fish are so expensive, unlike Lake Victoria’s Cichlid that has larger numbers of fry.
Virginalis Gold is a problem free aquarium fish that exhibits a very peaceful behavior. I keep several males together in a relatively small tank (40-gallon breeder) and although some of them exhibited breeding coloration simultaneously, no serious problems arose. Juveniles are kept together with the adult breeding group and no harm was done to them. Virginalis Gold have taught me that they are not bold enough to stand up against most other aggressive species. Keep them with your Rainbows and Discus or in a planted tank of Rasboras and Neons or other small fish. Get a real gem from Lake Malawi; they are Peaceful and Gorgeous!
First Publication: Splash, Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Source: Aquarticles.com (No longer available)
Editors note: we used images of the Copadichromis virginalis – Fire Crest as we don’t have images of the Gold variety. They differ only in color of the dorsal fin. Fire Crest has an orange/red fin.
