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Tropheus duboisi
| Scientific Name: Tropheus duboisi |
| Common Name: Tropheus duboisi "Wide Band Bemba," duboisi "Bemba," and duboisi. |
| Origin: Confined to the rocky coasts of Lake Tanganyika. |
| Water Conditions: As with most Tanganyikan cichlids, Tropheus need medium to slightly hard water with a temperature of between 75 and 80F. Temperatures higher than 82F can be very harmful. A pH of between 7.8 and 9.0 is recommended. With a pH below 7.0, Tropheus will not breed, and will only live a short period of time. Frequent water changes are a must, about 30% to 40% every seven to ten days is ideal. |
| Diet: The most important aspect of keeping Tropheus healthy is the food they eat. Feeding them the wrong foods could upset their digestive tract and cause them to get bloat and die soon after. The Tropheus are an algae feeding cichlid and do well when fed a reliable algae based flake food, mine enjoy OSI Spirulina flake. In addition to flake, large leaves of Romaine lettuce are readily accepted by adults. For adults it is good to occasionally skip a day of feeding. Never feed Tropheus any type of worms, mosquito larvae, or beef heart. |
| Mature Size: Males get up to 5.5 inches ( cm). Females get up to 5 inches ( cm). |
| Sexual Dimorphism: Males are larger and typically have a wider band than females. Females tend to have a more rounded nose than the males, whose nose is slightly upturned. |
| Breeding: Tropheus generally begin showing interest in spawning at around 9 months, or about 2.5 inches. They are maternal mouthbrooders, and produce very small batches of fry, 12 to 15 at the most. The incubation period lasts 4 to 5 weeks, during which the female will eat little or no food. |
| General Description: As juveniles, the duboisi are jet-black and are covered with light blue white spots. After about a year, as the duboisi grows the juvenile color pattern fades and gives way to a blue head and black body color with a white or yellow vertical band under the dorsal fin. |
| Suitable Tankmates: Due to their dietary needs it is very difficult to keep Tropheus with other species. They live and breed best when kept in large, single species colonies. |
| Other Morphs In Species: Tropheus duboisi "Karliani," Tropheus duboisi "Kigoma," and Tropheus duboisi "Maswa." |
| Other Species In Genus: Tropheus moorii, Tropheus brichardi, Tropheus polli, Tropheus annectens, and Tropheus kasabae. |
| Personal Note: Tropheus duboisi tends to be somewhat hardier then most other Tropheus, therefore making it a good choice for someone wanting to try their hand at keeping this interesting cichlid. It is best to start out with around 30 fry, grow them out, then thin the colony down to the optimal sex ratio of around 2 to 3 males and 13 to 15 females. |
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