Chindongo bellicosus

Chindongo bellicosus is a fairly aggressive Mbuna Malawi Cichlid. They grow to about 12 cm but protect their algae garden very fiercely against other fish.

Chindongo bellicosus

Chindongo bellicosus was first described in 2016 by Li, Konings and Stauffer. The name bellicosus comes from Latin and means bellicose or mad war. A reference to the aggressive nature of this species. The genus name Chindongo is the local name in Malawi for “small, rock-dwelling cichlids”.

The species had been known for some time under a number of temporary names:

  • Pseudotropheus elongatus ‘aggressive’, Ribbink et al. 1983
  • Pseudotropheus elongatus ‘slab’, Ribbink et al. 1983
  • Pseudotropheus sp. ‘elongatus aggressive’, Konings 2007
  • Pseudotropheus sp. ‘elongatus slab’, Konings 2007

Description

In the wild, Chindongo bellicosus males grow to a maximum length of 12 centimetres. The females stay a bit smaller, around 10 centimetres and also have shorter fins. The shape of this species is quite elongated. Hence the temporary name “elongatus”. They are even longer in shape than the well-known Chindongo elongatus “Chewere”.

The males have a deep blue colour on the flank that continues into the caudal fin. Young specimens have dark stripes on the head with the blue colour in between. As they age, the stripes on the head disappear and become dark, sometimes almost black. The front part of the flank shows a few dark vertical stripes, which are missing on the back half. They do not have a horizontal stripe.

The females are much less colourful than males. The black remains a bit more grey to dark grey and the blue is not nearly as bright as in the males. Even the dominant females do not match the colour of the male Chindongo bellicosus.

Chindongo bellicosus - Zimbawe Rock
Chindongo bellicosus – Zimbawe Rock

Biotope

You can find Chindongo bellicosus in the southwest of Lake Malawi. They live around the Nankumba Peninsula from Tsano Rock to Mumbo Island.

They inhabit the rocks where they hold a territory. They do this to defend their food, the so-called aufwuchs gardens.

Diet

The diet of Chindongo bellicosus mainly consists of diatoms and cyanobacteria that they scrape from the Aufwuchs (algae strands) with their teeth. Chindongo’s teeth are adapted to comb through the long strands of algae at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees.

The reason Chindongo chase other species so fiercely is also hidden in their diet. They need long strands of algae and therefore protect their food source, the aufwuchs. Chindongo bellicosus is, therefore, a real herbivore and should not be fed meat-like food. So in the aquarium feed them with spirulina flakes and granules for herbivores and not with frozen or live food.

The Aquarium

Set up the aquarium with (filter) sand on the bottom. Place rocks so that there are some gaps, crevices and holes between them. In the aquarium, you can only keep one male with two or more females. Make sure it is a spacious aquarium of at least 150 centimetres in length. This species can be quite aggressive against conspecifics but also against other algae-eating species. Keep them only together with other robust Mbuna species to prevent victims.

Breeding Chindongo bellicosus

A male tries to lure females into his territory by showing his flank and spreading the fins wide. His colours are now at its brightest. He swims in front of the female with trembling movements and seduces her to come along. Circling each other, the female lays the eggs in the sand. The male turns and fertilizes the eggs, after which the woman picks up the eggs in her mouth.

After a few days, the eggs hatch in her mouth. They continue to grow in her mouth for quite some time. About three weeks after spawning, the young Chindongo bellicosus are released and have to fend for themselves.

Raising the fry

In a mixed aquarium with adult fish, most juvenile fish don’t stand a chance and soon end up as food. If you want to keep more young Chindongo bellicosus, you can catch the female after 18 days and place her in a special breeding tank. An aquarium of 50 cm is sufficient. Decorate it with some sand on the bottom and some hiding places for the female. After releasing the young fry, she does not eat them immediately. You have enough time to put the female back in the show aquarium. You can feed the young Chindongo bellicosus with finely crushed flakes and spirulina.

Author

John de Lange

Copyright images

Mark Thomas – Marks Fiskenarie
Pete Barnes

References

A Revision of the Pseudotropheus elongatus species group (Teleostei: Cichlidae)
With Description of a New Genus and Seven New Species – DOI.
Fishbase.se
Cichlidae.com
Malawi.si

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