Lateral Line August 2005.pub - Hill Country Cichlid Club

The Lateral Line Page 6Species Profile:Protomelas taeniolatusProtomelas taeniolatus or Red Empress is amaternal mouth brooder common through outLake Malawi. It is found in sediment free rockyshoreline no deeper than 10 meters (30 feet).The tropical climate keeps the water surfacetemperature between 23 to 28 degrees Celsiuswith a pH of 7.8 to 8.5. I obtained three (1m/2f)P. taeniolatus from my nephew, who purchasedthem from a small fish store in San Antoniocalled Malawi Cove.When I received thesefish the male was 4inches and 3 inches forthe females. Males canachieve a size of 19 cm(7 1/2 inches) and havea blue face, reddishbody with a distinctivedorsal fin that has awhite horizontal line ontop with a highlight ofblack just below it thatfades into a bright red.Females achieve a size of 15 cm (5 1/2 inches)and have a black horizontal line running fromgills to tail, centered in the middle of a whitebody. Another black stripe is located betweenmiddle and the top of the body running parallelwith middle stripe. Another black line in theform of dashes is along top of body underneathdorsal.The fish bred in a 55 gallon tank which containedsmall gravel and contained only rockwork and no plants. It was also occupied byother breeders which were "Lemon Jakes" andLeleupi. The tank was filtered by an Emperor400 Bio-Wheel and had a water temp 80 degreesFahrenheit. The pH is unknown for thistank. I performed weekly water changes equalto 20% of the tank volume. I used fluorescentlighting for duration of 15 1/2 hours each day.The fish are feed a combination of HBH"Seafood Lovers" and"Veggie Lovers"flakes. No specialbreeding diets wereattempted.When spawning, theblue color of themale's face intensifiesas so does the redfins. Females do notshow much change incoloration. My malePhoto by Spencer Jackclears out an area inthe substrate and begins a beautiful "Peacock"display of his fins. Once the enticed female isnear, she follows the male in a very close circle.During the circling she will drop eggs,retrieve and then fertilize them in her mouthby nipping at the male's anal fin, collectingthe sperm. If interrupted, she will leave andthen be enticed back for same sequences overand over until all eggs are fertilized. She thenretreats back to the harem for safety.