Trematocranus placodon
Snail-Crusher Hap
Classification
Cichlidae
Distribution
Endemic to Lake Malawi.
Habitat
It inhabits shallow water, and is usually found around or in beds of
Maximum Standard Length
10″ (25cm).
Aquarium SizeTop ↑
60″ x 15″ x 18″ (150×37.5x45cm) – 250 litres.
Maintenance
Set up the aquarium with piles of rocks arranged to form caves, large areas of open water for swimming and preferably a sandy substrate. Planting with Vallisneria in dense patches would simulate the natural habitat of this species. There should be no strong current in the tank.
Water Conditions
Temperature: 75-82°F (24-28°C)
pH: 7.6-8.8
Hardness: 10-25°H
Diet
Will accept most foods offered, and a varied diet of live, frozen and dried foods suits this species. Some snails should also be included in the diet when possible.
Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑
Unless the tank is very large, it is probably best in a species setup, as the fish are territorial, and males can command large territories. In bigger aquaria it can be combined with other large haps, such as Fossorochromis rostratus, Cyrtocara moorii, or even Frontosa.
Male fish are aggressive towards one another and only one should be kept in tanks of under 72″ in length. Several females should be kept per male.
Sexual Dimorphism
Adult males are slightly larger and far more colourful than females.
Reproduction
Not easy. Polygamous maternal mouthbrooder. The breeding aquarium should be at least 60″ in length and furnished as suggested above. The addition of some large areas of open substrate to provide potential spawning sites and areas of planting with Vallisneria are recommended. A pH of 8.0-8.5 and a temperature between 77-81°F are ideal. A breeding group of one male and 3-6 females is recommended.
When ready, the male will choose a spawning site by digging a depression in the substrate. These can be very large and the male will maintain and defend this as his territory. He will display around his chosen spawning site, showing intense colour, and attempt to entice females to mate with him. When a female is willing, she will approach the spawning site and lay her eggs there, allowing the male to fertilise them before picking them up in her mouth.
She will carry the brood of up to 100 eggs for around 3 weeks, before releasing the free swimming fry. She will not eat during this period and can be easily spotted by her distended mouth. If a female is overly stressed, she may spit out the brood prematurely or eat them, so care must be taken if you decide to move the fish in order to avoid fry predation. Some breeders artificially strip the fry from the mother’s mouth at the 2 week stage and raise them from that point as this usually results in a larger number of fry.
The fry are large enough to accept brine shrimp nauplii from the day they are released.
NotesTop ↑
An ideal species for the larger Malawian community but one not often seen for sale. In nature, it is a molluscivore, feeding primarily on snails. It has specially developed pharyngeal teeth, which can crush and grind the shells of these animals with ease. Several other species were originally assigned to the genus but currently, only 3 species of Trematocranus exist, most having been reclassified as Aulonocara or Alticorpus.
