Labidochromis pallidus

Labidochromis pallidus

Labidochromis was first described by Lewis in 1982: “A revision of the genus Labidochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi”, Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 75 : pp. 235-238.

Habitat

Labidochromis pallidus originates from the three Maleri Islands (Maleri, Nakantenga en Nankoma) and from Thumbi West Island. Lewis suspects this last location is a colony of fish that are released on that location by the former exporter Peter Davies.

Description

Males can reach a total length of around 6 centimetres but females are a bit smaller. Their body is relatively high and laterelly compressed. They have a pointy snout with a small mouth.

The name pallidus is a reference to their pale color. They dont have distinctive markings on their body. They are pale white and sometimes show a blue/puple hue on their sides. Sometimes dominant males can show a dark band on the outer edge of their pelvic and anal fins.

In contrast to many other Lake Malawi cichlids it isn’t as easy to see the difference between the sexes. Males, especially dominant ones, have a blue/purple hue and are somewhat more attractive en slightly larger than females. Neutral males or females are hard to distinguish. Males tend to show more and larger egg spots than females.

Diet

In nature Labidochromis pallidus feeds mostly on aufwuchs an small insect larvae. In the aquarium you can feed them a mixture of herbivoures flakes and smal meaty foods like daphnia, mysis, krill, cyclops, brine shrimp, white and black mosquito larvae etc.

Aquarium

For this small Mbuna you will need an aquarium of at least 120 centimetres in length. Use (filter)sand as a substrate. Make sure to provide lots of rocks and create caves, cracks and crevices.

Breeding

Labidochromis pallidus is a maternal mouthbrooder. After spawning the female will pick up the eggs and brood on them for around three weeks. While the female is brooding she will not eat. After this time she spits out the fry. The fry will have to take care for their own from then on.

Video

Author

Walter Deproost

Copyright images

Walter Deproost

Last Updated on 27 November 2020 by John