Common names: Bumblebee cichlid, hornet cichlid
Scientific Name: Pseudotropheus crabro
Origin: Lake Malawi in Africa
Lifespan: Ten years
Size: About five to six inches. Males are slightly larger.
Temperature: 75-85 degrees F, or about 24-29 degrees Celcius
Food: Bumblebee cichlids will eat flake food, but it would take a lot of fish flakes to fill this fish up. Specialty cichlid pellet food seem to work best for mine. I also feed them frozen bloodworms once a week. They are omnivorous and will also nibble on algae wafers in my tank.
Care: Most of the time these fish do well when keeping only one male and several females.
Sexing: It can be difficult. The main difference is that males turn almost completely black when stressed, angry, or ready to breed.
Breeding: The bumblebee cichlid is a mouthbrooding fish. To get the fish ready to spawn, increase the temperature a degree or two and start making more frequent water changes, adding water that is colder than the temperature of the tank. This makes the fish think it is rainy season and get ready to spawn.
The female will lay the eggs and the male will fertilize them. After the eggs are fertilized the female sucks them into her mouth and takes care of them.
Check out this video on breeding African Cichlids:
Good luck! Feel free to add your own comments or tips in the comments below!
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