West African Mouthbrooder

Remarks: There are only a few species of Pseudocrenilabrus, which are small mouthbrooding cichlids from primarily Central and Western Africa, though they can be found in Southern Africa as well. Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi is a species that is found in the Congo, hiding amongst aquatic plants along the banks and is commonly know as the West African mouthbrooder. The West African mouthbrooder is a stunning fish in both color and behavior, as they are quite spunky for their size. Males are blueish-purple with red bands. Their faces are bright gold, and they have iridescent blue lips. The pelvic fins may darken into black. Females lack most of this color, however males may not color up without females to court or if they are young.   Spawning is similar to most mouthbrooding cichlids. Females hold eggs for a period of approximately two weeks, at which point the fry are mature enough to be free swimming should you want to remove them. Males can tend to harass females so it is good to try to have 3 females for every male. They are a feisty but small species with a lot of the aggression being between males. For this reason, at least a 40 gallon tank with plenty of caves will be needed if one plans to house multiple males together. Their aggression tends to mostly be targeted at more timid or similar looking species so they can be kept with other fish like large African tetras such as congo tetras, as well as smaller, more peaceful mbuna species. With their hardy and robust build, West African mouthbrooders can be a great introduction to African cichlids not found within the major lakes, as well as a candidate for a Congo River biotope.