Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, is this an accurate picture?

[emartin]

I found this picture of Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor on a google search:



Is that an accurate picture of the species?

I'm wondering because Atlantis (a distributor of pond raised and importer) got pond raised ones in, and they are either Ps. multicolor multicolor or the other beautiful Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victorae:



~Ed

[emartin]

Also would either of these varieties or Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi live in a 20gal-LONG (a trio 1m2f?) or would a bigger tank like a 29gal be better?

~Ed

[Lisachromis]

Nicholsi works fine in a 20 gallon as long as you only have one male. A small group works well for me in a 20g with a few tetras and some starlight plecos.

[emartin]

Nicholsi works fine in a 20 gallon as long as you only have one male. A small group works well for me in a 20g with a few tetras and some starlight plecos.

How would they want the tank setup? I'm a big Haplochromine guy so I am used to big open spaces with maybe 2-4 caves. I was thinking of having it open in the front and center of the tank with some patches of Java fern or a similar plant attached to rocks on sand.

What pH should I use? Straight out of my tap it ranges (apparently it changes year round, as I remember I got a reading on litmus paper of 6, but just recently it was just under or just over 7 (I have a digital pH meter but I haven't calibrated it yet) but I also have pre-measured baking soda to bring it up equivalent of my Malawi tanks at 8-9.

~Ed

[Lisachromis]

Well, I can only tell you what I have. The tank at the time I was breeding them, was planted. I have a few small caves for the plecos. The nicholsi don't go in the pleco caves. I also have a sponge filter near one corner of the tank and that's where they mainly hang out, unless they're begging for food. The water here has a pH of 7.8.

[Rico Morgenstern]

I found this picture of Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor on a google search:



Is that an accurate picture of the species?

I'm wondering because Atlantis (a distributor of pond raised and importer) got pond raised ones in, and they are either Ps. multicolor multicolor or the other beautiful Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victorae:



~Ed

Both pictures show male Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae. The upper fish appears somewhat 'artifical' in his colors, maybe it is the result of linebreeding. P. multicolor multicolor, the Egyptian Mouthbrooder, is a rather different fish, not only with regard to coloration. I believe that multicolor and victoriae in fact are distinct species for they have virtually nothing in common beyond the features shared also by other species of Pseudocrenilabrus. The fish referred to as P. multicolor in the hobby (literature, trade etc.) is usually the Egyptian Mouthbrooder. P. m. victoriae has often been confused with P. philander dispersus, Pseudocrenilabrus sp. 'Beira Gold' is another trade name for that species.

According to my observations P. nicholsi is a rather hardy species with regard to pH, therefore it should be no problem if it varies somewhat through the year. The species is known to live in small rainforest streams with soft and quite acidic water, but not exclusively. My tanks for Pseudocrenilabrus are usually heavily planted and I have made good experiences with keeping them together with moderately sized tetras, barbs, catfishes etc., but small species like Neon tetras may be taken for food. I would, however, recommend to keep these fish pairwise (sufficient cover provided!), for the females are aggressive to each other too, so if you buy one male and two or three females, it could well be that after a few weeks only a pair is left.

RM

[dogofwar]

I bought the fish that I have as P. philander dispersus. They look very similar to the ones posted here as P. multicolor victoriae.

Anyone have pictures of both... or better yet a description of how to differentiate the two?

Thanks,
Matt

[Rico Morgenstern]

Matt, the fish distributed in the hobby as P. philander dispersus is P. multicolor victoriae. You may check the following thread, where I have tried to explain how the confusion came up:

http://www.cichlidae.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2923

P. m. victorie differs from P. philander in having a somewhat smaller mouth, upper and lower lip blue (in P. philander usually only the lower), absence of other blue head markings, the golden yellow iridescense on the flank and belly scales extended almost to the entire scale (in P. philander restricted to the scale margin and, irrespective of the ground color which may also be golden-yellow, usually more bluish to coppery), a narrow but continuous black dorsal fin margin (in P. philander broadened or intensified in the anterior part or even restricted to the first few dorsal spines), the anal fin with an irregularly banded or occasionally somewhat reticulated pattern of iridescent blue markings and a large and well defined bloodred spot on the fin (in P. philander the anal fin is usually more spotted, and the red marking on the tip is often smaller and less clearly defined, but there is a certain variability in the entire anal fin coloration). Females are not always easily distinguishable, but some typical features like the blue on the lips or the shape of the blackish dorsal fin margin are also discernable in females.

I have avoided to use the subspecies name dispersus here for the three subspecies of P. philander are not well defined.

RM

[dogofwar]

thanks for the great explanation!

[TasV]

If you look at the exif information of the first pic it says the flash did not fire with camera settings (like white balance) on auto on the SONY cybershot that was used to take the image. The exif information is missing from the 2nd image but was obviously taken with a direct flash creating the blue and greenhues in the reflected/refracted light... both the same species... different photographic techniques only.

[Rico Morgenstern]

An interesting reading regarding the 'rediscovery' of Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor in Egypt (including photos of beautiful wildcaught fish) is available in "Eggspots" no.3:

http://www.worldfish.de/eggspots.html

RM