Dubois' Cichlid

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Vastly distributed along the northern wave-battered, rocky rubble coasts of Lake Tanganyika. This species represents the Tanganyika equivalent of the Malawi Mbunas. They spend every single minute of their lives relentlessly picking and violently scraping at the extremely thick, flat green algae carpets ('Aufwuchs') covering the rocky reefs in the top 5 to 15 meters of water.

Taxonomy and Morphology: A key member of the notoriously difficult and rewarding Tropheus genus. Peaks around 12 cm (5 inches) in length. They are built like tanks: highly cylindrical, incredibly muscular, thick-set, and tall. Their mouth is situated underneath the snout (sub-terminal), equipped with specialized brushing, chisel-like teeth designed explicitly by millions of years of evolution to scrape micro-algae and organisms flat against rough stone surfaces.

Social Behavior: Absolutely hyperactive, neurotic, and incredibly brutal. Tropheus are universally known for their explosive 'Intraspecific Aggression' (they violently hate and attempt to murder members of their own exact species). A single dominant Alpha male will tirelessly and viciously pursue, bite, and beat submissive Dubois cichlids in his territory. To prevent murder, they must be kept in highly 'overstocked' swarms where the Alpha's fury is divided among twenty fish instead of just one victim. They are constantly swimming in endless motion.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The ultimate example of an 'Ontogenetic Shift' (color change as it ages). This is why everyone buys them: The juveniles are staggeringly beautiful. They are inky, jet-black, heavily saturated with hundreds of perfectly round, brilliant glowing white or neon-blue spots (the 'Starry Night' or 'Polka Dot' look). But beware the magic ends: At 5 to 6 cm (2-3 inches), the spots completely fade away and vanish forever. The adult turns a solid, very dark bluish-charcoal or pitch black, and develops ONE MASSIVE, incredibly striking, solid vertical band (a thick 'belt' or 'stripe') across its mid-section. This band is either blazing white, or bright buttery-yellow (the highly prized 'Maswa' variant). Males and females are completely identical to the naked eye.

Tank Setup: Due to their swimming energy and violent social structure, massive tanks are mandatory. Minimum 150 cm (5 feet) footprint, or 100+ gallons. THE ROCKSCAPE RULE: Do not build enclosed caves. Build enormous, solid barriers and piles of huge, smooth river rocks or limestone directly under extremely bright, intense LED lighting. The goal is to grow massive carpets of natural green algae on the rocks for them to graze continuously, 16 hours a day. Huge water flow from powerheads is needed to mimic wave action and heavily oxygenate the water.

Feeding: OBLIGATE BENTHIC HERBIVORE (Aufwuchs Grazer). DIET IS THE #1 KILLER OF THIS FISH. They possess incredibly long, fragile digestive tracts designed only for low-nutrient, high-fiber algae. YOU MUST FEED THEM STRICTLY PREMIUM VEGETARIAN/SPIRULINA FLAKES OR PELLETS. Never switch brands of food suddenly, as the enteric shock will kill them. ABSOLUTE DEATH SENTENCE: Even a single feeding of Bloodworms, Beefheart, frozen brine shrimp, or cheap tropical flakes will inevitably rot in their gut, triggering the universally fatal, agonizing disease 'TROPHEUS BLOAT'. They will swell like balloons and die in 48 hours.

Water Quality: African Rift Lake Chemistry is a must. Needs crystal clear, incredibly hard, alkaline water. pH 8.0-9.2. High GH and KH buffers (crushed coral substrate helps). Temp 24-27°C (75-80°F). Pristine water is an absolute requirement. High nitrates or slight pH crashes will stress the colony, triggering 'Bloat' and wiping out hundreds of dollars of fish in a week. Extreme heavy mechanical filtration and weekly large water changes are vital.

Compatibility: THE 'MASS COLONY' AND 'ONE-SHOT' RULES: 1. You MUST buy a massive group of at least 15 to 20 juvenile Dubois all at once, and put them into the giant tank together on the very same day. This spreads the aggression so no one fish gets bullied to death. 2. NEVER, ever try to add a new 'stranger' Dubois to an established colony months later; the colony will brutally murder the newcomer in under 10 minutes. 3. NEVER mix two different species of Tropheus (like T. moorii) or they will hybridize into ugly mutts and fight to the death. Only keep with robust Gobies or Julidochromis.

Reproduction: Extremely difficult for beginners due to the extreme violence involved. The Alpha male 'shimmies' and aggressively bites at a female to force her into a rocky depression. She drops huge eggs, scoops them into her mouth, and noses the male's anal fin for fertilization. She will then retreat into the rocks, literally starving herself for a brutal 4-week holding period while her chin swells grotesquely. She eventually releases 10-15 giant, perfectly formed polka-dot fry. If the tank ratio is wrong (not enough females), the male will batter the pregnant female to death instantly after breeding.

Risks: 1. 'TROPHEUS BLOAT' EPIDEMIC: Instant, incurable swelling and death of the entire tank caused by the owner feeding them carnivorous treats or cheap community flakes instead of high-grade spirulina. 2. 'The Lone Survivor': If you buy only 3 or 4 of these fish, the dominant male will quickly torture the others to death until he is the only one left alive. 3. New-addition massacre (adding fish to an established group).