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Another
representative of the Nimbochromis genus, very closely resembling
the livingstoni species both in coloration and behavior. A fast
swimmer needs a lot of space. A piscivorous species hunts mainly
with ambush but it is not rare to chase its victim. It is regarded
as the most voracious piscivore of the genus. Besides good quality
pellets (and flakes sometimes - though they do not prefer them) they
need some frozen food to keep them in good shape. I regularly feed
them shrimps (the ones we consume) chopped to very small pieces so
every fish has a chance to eat. Otherwise the Nimbochromis species
with their very big mouths will get as much as they can carry
leaving the other species without any food. They will take really
big mouthfuls and then spend much time chewing. They also prefer
frozen bloodworms and the "shrimp mix" food described in
Ad Koning's book "Enjoying Cichlids".
Males
are very aggressive as is the whole genus and keeping more
than one male per tank is to be strongly avoided unless a really big
tank is used (more than 1000 liters). The males will spend almost
the whole month in peace but when it comes to spawning even the 2,8
m tank is not too big. Though the females of this genus look very
much alike the N. Livingstoni still the males can pick the right
partner so there is no increased risk of cross-breeding. They will
spawn very easily (in a tank with ample space) and produce
relatively large broods. Unfortunately not all of the fry survive
and I have experienced very heavy losses while raising it. The fry
of all Nimbochromis species grows unequally and cannibalism is very
common therefore it is wise to separate the smaller fry from the
bigger (at about 1 month) if you want to increase the survival
rate.
As
with other Nimbochromis species the male will dig huge amounts of
sand in order to prepare its spawning pit. If you have a substrate
of sand or very fine gravel you will observe males movind it around
while testing its size (by lying in there) to see if the dimensions
are OK. It will chase its female all day long when in the right mood
so it is advisable to have some hiding places available for her or
else, keep more than one females in your tank. The species will
ferociously protect its territory when spawning. Nimbochromis
polystigma grows to more than 20 cm (mine are already 22-23 cm long
) and it is not recommended for small tanks even if kept alone.
However, it is possible to keep two males in the same tank if ample
space is provided. The males will coexist in harmony and only during
spawning you will observe some serious fighting . Of course,
fighting between two 23 cm males is quite a spectacle. It is then
that the big tank comes in place. After some jaw locks, the second
male will go to the other side of the tank and the first will spawn
with the female. Even hiding places for this genus should be really
big caves proportional to their size. N. polystigma lacks the
vivid coloration of most Malawi cichlids (except for the male
breeding coloration) but has a very distinct and interesting dot
pattern. Its addition in a non-mbuna Malawi tank should be
considered on the basis of adding a classic representative of the
Nimbochromis genus - besides the venustus which is found in almost
every tank (even mbuna tanks).
Minimum
tank size : 200 cm / 750 liters. If more than one male is to be
kept than 250 cm / 1000 liters is the minimum recommended size.
See next
page for close up photos of male and
female
Nimbochromis polystigma. |
