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Steatocranus casuarius
From The Aquarium Wiki
(Redirected from Buffalo Head Cichlid)
| African Blockhead Cichlid | |
| |
| African Blockhead Cichlid | |
| Species | Steatocranus casuarius |
| Family | Cichlidae |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Min. Tank Size | 75.708 liters 75,708.236 mL 20 US Gallons (75.7L) |
| Size | 4.724 in
10-12 cm (3.9-4.7") |
| sg | Freshwater |
| pH | 7.0 - 7.5 |
| Temp. | 298.15 K 77 °F 536.67 °R 301.15 K |
| Water Hardness |
5-19 °d |
| Stocking Ratio | 1:2 M:F |
| Availability | Uncommon |
| Diet | |
| Life Span |
5-8 years |
| Habitat | |
| This animal is available captive bred | |
Contents |
[edit] Alternative names
- African Blockhead Cichlid, Lionhead Cichlid, African Blockhead, Buffalo Head Cichlid, Humphead Cichlid
[edit] Synonyms
- Steatocranus casuarinus
[edit] Sexing
- Males are longer in length, are darker in colour and have a larger hump.
[edit] Origin
- Found in Africa in the Malebo Pool (Stanley Pool) and the Lower Congo River, Congo River basin[1].
[edit] Tank compatibility
- Can be somewhat aggressive and very territorial when considering breeding, which makes life difficult for more passive fish. Best kept in pairs and will form a monogamous bond. Best kept in species tanks in pairs only or with other African Cichlids of similar temperament or robustness. Two males will not cohabit peacefully.
[edit] Diet
- Will accept most foods including pellet and live/frozen food such as chopped freshwater mussel.
- This fish will eat live snails.[2]
[edit] Feeding regime
- Feed once or twice a day.
[edit] Environment Specifics
- These Cichlids prefer a well filtered tank with a strong current. Caves are essential and they prefer a light and fine gravel substrate, planting will be uprooted.
[edit] Behaviour
- An unusual Cichlid in that they pair bond and if separated will pine for their mate and waste away. Only buy either already formed pairs or juveniles with the intention of pairing but do not expect a chosen male and female to bond. Unpaired females generally do not do well alone, and males who do not like their chosen partner for whatever reason will try and drive them away with possible fatal consequences. They will generally occupy the bottom levels of the tank and tend to move in sudden jerky movements rather than steady swimming.
[edit] Identification
- An elongate but chunky unusual looking Cichlid. Both sexes have a nuchal hump, but the males will be larger. Colour seems to vary but they are generally pale with hints of blue occasionally with several vertical bands visible down the flanks.
[edit] Pictures
[edit] References
- ↑ Fishbase Distribution
- ↑ Tropical Fish Magazine article 'Taming the Tenacious Trumpet Snail' by Tom Lorenz. August 2009 (requires free registration)
