Alcolapia grahami
Graham's Soda Cichlid, Magadi Tilapia
SynonymsTop ↑
Tilapia grahami Boulenger, 1912
Etymology
Alcolapia: etymology not explained, but appears to be a combination of the Latin alcali, meaning ‘alkali’, in reference to genus members’ habitat preferences, and -lapia, since it was originally proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia.
grahami: named for “Mr. J.W. Graham” (no further information provided), who collected the type series and contributed notes on the type locality.
Classification
Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae
Distribution
Endemic to Lake Magadi in the Republic of Kenya, East Africa.
Habitat
It inhabits the shoreline of the lake around alkaline hot spring inlets and lagoons.
Maximum Standard Length
4.8″ (12cm).
Aquarium SizeTop ↑
36″ x 12″ x 12″ (90cm x 30cm x 30cm) – 80 litres.
Maintenance
The tank can be relatively sparse. A sandy substrate is best as this fish likes to dig. Some rock piles arranged to form caves and hiding places are the only other decor needed. Plants are not typical of this species‘ natural environment.
Water Conditions
Temperature: 82 – 104 °C
pH: 8.0 – 10.0
Hardness: 179 – 625 ppm
Diet
Live and frozen foods should comprise a large proportion of the diet. Dried foods are also accepted. Ensure the fish receive some vegetable matter as part of the diet such as blanched spinach or spirulina, as it feeds almost exclusively on algae in nature (specifically a species of blue-green algae).
Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑
It seems to be a fairly peaceful species but should be kept alone due to its extreme water requirements. It’s territorial with conspecifics but its small size means several can be kept in most tanks.
Sexual Dimorphism
Males tend to grow larger and are more colourful than females.
Reproduction
Possible but not often achieved in aquaria due to the rarity of the fish! Little information is available. Maternal mouthbrooder. The aquarium should be set up as above with a pH of at least 8.0 (preferably higher) and a temperature of 82-90°F. A breeding attempt should involve a group of fish of both sexes. Condition the fish with a high quality, varied diet.
When in spawning condition the male will excavate a small depression or pit in the substrate, which is used as the spawning site. He will defend this from other males except whilst feeding, when he leaves the pit. In nature this would occur in the early morning. The female lays her eggs in the pit and then moves away, allowing the male to fertilise them before she returns and picks them up in her mouth.
Relatively few eggs are laid. In nature females will migrate between different males’ spawning pits so it’s possible that they spawn with multiple males within a short space of time, carrying fertilised eggs from several simultaneously. The female will carry the eggs for around 2 weeks before releasing the free swimming fry. Parental care ceases at this point.
The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii or microworm from the day they are released by the mother.
NotesTop ↑
This species is a true wonder of nature. It lives in a soda lake which is full of hot, alkaline springs. The water contains a high concentration of sodium carbonate and other dissolved minerals and salts. The water conditions in the lake are typically pH 9.5-10.5, kH 7000+ and temperature 90-110°F! The water also has a sg reading of 1.2+ and is very shallow, having a maximum depth of only 3 metres. It can be acclimatised to more ‘normal’ conditions but the pH should not be allowed to drop below 8.0 and the temperature should be 82°F minimum. If you manage to find some be sure to ask the dealer what water conditions they are being kept in and how long they have had to acclimatise as this should occur quite slowly. It is exceptionally rare in the hobby.
It has several physiological adaptations. Instead of excreting ammonia A. grahami excretes urea as waste. This is because the excretion of ammonia into water of the chemistry of Lake Magadi would be very difficult due to it’s high buffering capacity and alkalinity. Most of the urea is excreted through the gills. Also, the fish will periodically gulp air from the surface. This is thought to be related to the fact that oxygen solubility in the highly saline water of Lake Magadi is significantly reduced and can quickly become hypoxic (deprived of oxygen), especially if there are lots of fish living in a small pool. Therefore the fish have adapted to be able to respire atmospheric air if need be. Significantly this behaviour is seen less often in captivity.
This species was formerly classifed as Oreochromis alcalicus grahami and is still named as such in much of the available literature. It was also thought to be a subspecies of A. alcalicus. It’s since been given distinct species status and is now one of only 2 species in the genus.
