Stomatepia pindu anyone

[sidguppy]

Just curious, since this extremely rare species is available in the Netherlands now

anyone got some recent experience with them?
what is a do, what is a don't?

according to the seller of the offspring it should be kept in soft water with a pH of about 7;
however, I scourged the net and found quite different parameters, for example on fishbase. (OK, that was Stomatepia mariae, but it's the same Lake...)

I was profoundly UNsuccesful in my search for waterparameters of Lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon.

if anyone can help with these, it'd be great.
it would also keep me or others from making mistakes with this rare fish.

I can find plenty tips and advice about their temperament, their diet and their difficulties with breeding them;
but few if anything about the waterchemistry needed to imitate their habitat.

this article tells about warm, hard, alkaline water for example:
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid ... apindu.php

This lake is an extinct volcano, known to burp up poisonous clouds through the lake, killing people and lifestock around the lake, yes?
or no?

because if this toxic gas would be carbondioxide or sulphurous gasses, I'd expect a highly acidic environment with extremely soft water, not hard or alkaline.....

[Lisachromis]

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/t0360e/T0360E04.htm

LAKE BAROMBI MBO (= KUMBA)

Geographical data
Location: Cameroon - 4° 38'N; 9° 22'E
Altitude: 300 m
Surface area: 4.53 km2
Depth: 111 m (max)
Max. length: 2.5 km
Max. width: 2.5 km
Annual fluctuation in level: 1 m
Outflowing river: Kumba
Special features: Crater lake

Physical and chemical data:
Surface temperature: 29.5 ° C
Conductivity: K20 39 μ S/cm

[Lisachromis]

http://www.wetlands.org/reports/infoshe ... ref=1CM002

16. Physical features of the site: Describe, as appropriate, the geology, geomorphology; origins - natural or artificial; hydrology; soil type; water quality; waterdepth, water permanence; fluctuations in water level; tidal variations; downstream area; general climate, etc. The caldera, which forms the lake basin, is a remnant of an explosive volcanic crater, whichwas formed approximately 1.000.000 years ago. With a surface area of 415 ha and a depth of 111 m, it is the largest, and the deepest crater-lake in Cameroon. To the north, east and south,the lake basin is surrounded by a steep crater wall, which summits at more than 400 m above sea level. To the west, the catchment includes - in contrast to many other crater lakes - a smallinlet system of streams, which is located in a shallow and boxed-in crater. The inlet-system(Sofo, and its tributary Toh Mbok) is located within the secondary crater and covers an area ofapproximately 8 km2of flat terrain. It has produced a small sediment cone at the junctions with the lake, where the lakes shore is comparatively shallow. The shores descend sharply,spilling into the central plateau of the lake bottom giving the lake a saucer-shaped silhouette.After the formation of the maar, it is believed that the maximum depth of the lake was around400 m before it was filled with sediments from the lake. At the north-eastern shore, a recentlava flow crops out of the bottom of the inner wall with a submerged distal arm. The single outlet, Kaké, flows through a deep gorge in the crater rim located in the south-eastern corner of the lake. Since the gorge is according to estimates recent, it is hypothesised that the lakeformerly drained through the Sofo to the River Mémé system, and not to the River Mungosystem as is the case today.Several sediment cores have been taken from the lake bottom in order to investigate the recent(25.000 years) history of the lake by means of radio-carbon dating and pollen-analysis. The results indicate that the lake’s environs were partly densely forested during its Quaternaryage. Then, about 20.000 years ago, a major disturbance in the lake occasioned the inversion of the upper sediment layers. However, pollen from aquatic plants is present in sediment cores and it is estimated to have been there 20.000 years ago, indicating that conditions favouring aquatic life have always been present.
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The water of Barombi Mbo emanates solely from rainwater falling within the confines of thesmall inlet-drainage system in the inner crater wall and the lake surface. The lake level fluctuates by approximately 1 m through the seasons, as there is very little water flowing in one of the streams of the inlet system, Toh Mbok, during the dry season with almost norainfall from December to February. However, there is abundant water during the rainyseason peaking around August and September.The lake is comparatively poor in nutrients (oligotrophic), but nutrient content is increasingslightly with increasing depth. At the surface the mineral content measured in Mikrosiemensis 46, while this value increases to 110 in deeper layers. Additionally, there is a slight increase in dissolved solids in the dry season. The water is near neutral to slightly alkaline at the surface (pH 7.14 to 7.52) and becomes slightly alcalic at greater depths (pH 6.42 to 6.6 at 100m depth). Typical of deep, stratified lakes, the deep waters are devoid of oxygen (nodetectable oxygen below 40 m) and a drastic decrease of 20 to 40 m depths. Although the lakeis normally considered to be oligotrophic with a Secchi-depth (transparency) of up to 11 m,periodic and infrequent events cause a massive decrease of transparency and increase inturbidity, which may result in transparencies below 1 m and a change of the water colour from turquoise-blue to brown. The death of large quantities of fish, especially those from the deeper water layers, during the rainy season of 2001 is the cause of the decrease intransparency and increase in turbidity. During this period, all fish (except perhaps Koniadikume and Clarias maclareni) move into the upper water layers. The Barombi people haverecorded this event for centuries, and it is known in the Barombi language as the Nkum. The people have recorded this event to occur between every seven to fifteen years. The exactcauses are unknown; however, they seem to occur mainly in years with a very heavy rainyseason. The climate of the site is of equatorial type with a long rainy season (March to November)and a short dry season (December to February). The mean annual temperature approximates18° C or even less as the altitude increases. The annual humidity ranges from 70-84 %. The precipitations range from 1,825 mm to 3,000mm.The site consists of three successive volcanic series: a basaltic “lower black series” of tertiary age, a trachy-phonolitic “medium white series”, probably of Neogene age and a basaltic “upper black series” of quaternary age to very recent age.

[dogofwar]

These are wonderful, very interesting fish. I have a 125g set up with Pindu, mariae, Konia eisentrauti, Pelmatochromis, and a few odds and ends and catfish.

I keep them in warm water (78F) tap water (pH 7.6, moderately hard) with good success. They like clean water (weekly water changes), a fair amount of circulation, and aren't picky about food: pellets, flake, brine shrimp. Mine have grown to over 8" for a couple of large males and I've had them for a few years.

The pindu cruise around the tank in a shoal, while the Stomatepia mariae are more individual and aggressive in behavior.

Mine have bred many times. Capturing and stripping holding females is a real challenge. Especially in a 125g. With lots of rocks and tubes and decorations. I can tell that a female is holding because she's turned a weird mottled black/gray and is hiding. They don't have big, bulginf mouths like some. Males aren't really aggressive and I've never actually seen them spawning. I think they're quick about it.

I kept a smaller group in a 40g breeder, which made catching them easier. Females still spit their babies just looking at them!

Here's a picture of my big male who won 3rd in his class at the ACA in 2007... My daughter calls him "Darth Vader" for obvious reasons!

Matt

[sidguppy]

tnx people, this is all very good news!

looks like they can adapt to what is coming out of the faucet here, it's just a bit more alkaline; 8 instead of 7.6

waterchanges are not a problem; I'm used to big whoppers with my Madagascarians and before them Tanganyikans.
all fish that like their water clean and fresh and well oxygenated.

Matt, I cannot think of a more appropriate name for that fish...
it DOES look like ol' Darth.

guess I'm in for a new fish.

[Darrell Ullisch]

My experience, and that of the 3-4 other people I've talked to, has been the opposite of dogofwar. I had a male S. pindu who wiped out the other 5 pindu and everything else in the tank with him, and I've heard the same story 4 times over. I currently have a group of 5 S. mariae, and they shoal together. I haven't kept any other fish with them, as I am trying to get a spawn out of them. (Female was seen holding twice, but the eggs disappeared within 24 hours.)

[dogofwar]

Wow - killer male pindus! Never seen such behavior from mine - either in a 40g breeder or in the big community. By their size you can see that I've had them for some time...

I've found the Stomatepia mariae to be more aggressive but nothing on the lines of Malawai haps or mbuna. More like Saratherodon mossambicus or other tilapia. More horny than mean or hyper-territorial.

I've heard of a few crashes of pindu tanks from dirty water or dead fish. They like clean water. Sadly a guy in my area imported about 50 of them and had them quarantining in a tank...probably a couple died...and he lost them all.

[dogofwar]

More pics of my pindu's...taken by Bobby Phillips...

Matt

Wow - killer male pindus! Never seen such behavior from mine - either in a 40g breeder or in the big community. By their size you can see that I've had them for some time...

I've found the Stomatepia mariae to be more aggressive but nothing on the lines of Malawai haps or mbuna. More like Saratherodon mossambicus or other tilapia. More horny than mean or hyper-territorial.

I've heard of a few crashes of pindu tanks from dirty water or dead fish. They like clean water. Sadly a guy in my area imported about 50 of them and had them quarantining in a tank...probably a couple died...and he lost them all.

[dogofwar]

Another...

[James Shingler]

Not kept em myself but they have a group at Colchester Zoo UK.
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/2 ... A60051.flv
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k35/2 ... A60053.flv

Video taken over a year ago but the group looked similar last Jan when I revisited.
I think they are trying to maintain a genetically viable long term population. Over about 250 individuals.

[duanest]

My experience is much the same as dogowar, although at @7" the alpha male became very aggressive to any other male, and and any non-receptive female. Had a number of spawns, but could only get a reasonable number of fry after letting the female hold for 12-14 days(per Ken Davis) then catching her in a landing net, and letting her spit well developed fry. Ended up with 15 fry ready to fend for themselves.
I kept the adults in a 100 gal cichlid community of Madagascans and Central Americans.
Nice pics Matt, I always had a hard time getting a decent shot.

[dogofwar]

Thanks Duane - I had to have someone else take pictures to get decent shots!

I find the mariae much more aggro than the pindus...