Lethrinops microstoma
Lethrinops microstoma was first described by Trewavas in 1931. The genus name Lethrinops can be broken down into two parts. ‘Ops’ means ‘appearance’ and Lethrinus is a reference to the genus of saltwater fish Lethrinus (Lethrinidae), which they somewhat resemble. Together they give the meaning that these species have the appearance of the genus Lethrinus. The species name microstoma also consists of two parts. ‘Micro’ means ‘small’ and ‘stoma’ means ‘mouth’, a reference to the small mouth of this species.
Two other names are used in the trade: Lethrinops Aurita and Lethrinops sp. yellow-black dorsal.
Description
Lethrinops microstoma remains somewhat smaller in the wild than in the aquarium. In Lake Malawi, the males can grow to about 15 centimeters in length. In the aquarium, they usually get more and more powerful food. As a result, the males grow to about 17 centimeters. The females remain somewhat smaller than the males and grow to a maximum length of about 13 centimeters (in the wild a maximum of about 12 centimeters).
The color of a dominant male is more subtle than many other Malawi cichlids. They get a blue head. The flank shows a metallic green/blue with vague vertical bands. The dorsal and caudal fins are orange/blue mottled. The upper edge of the dorsal fin shows a white band with a black streak underneath. The anal fin becomes darker with clearly visible egg spots.
The color of the Lethrinops microstoma females is similar to that of other Lethrinops species. They remain brown/grey in colour. There are often some dark spots on the flank.
Lethrinops coloring in the wild
Lethrinops are inhabitants of the sandy plains in the wild. Here they live in the safety of groups. The predatory fish always try to focus on one prey. Selecting prey in a group that all looks the same is very difficult. Therefore, in the wild, Lethrinops often look dull and similar silver in color. The males only get their brilliant colors during the spawning season.
Lethrinops colouring in the aquarium
In the aquarium, Lethrinops are very gentle fish. They are soon suppressed and then lose their color. If you keep them in an aquarium with other Malawi cichlids, it will quickly become too crowded. To bring out the color of the Lethrinops, it is best to keep them in a species aquarium. One or more males and several females.
They are still Malawi cichlids. The males impress each other to determine their ranking. They normally do not chase each other. They spread their fins wide and with open mouths, they argue a little. They swim in front of or next to each other to determine who is the dominant male.
The colors of the males show best without other fish species around. If you still want to keep other fish species with Lethrinops, try calm Aulonocara or Copadichromis. Even then there is a chance that the Lethrinops will not come to colour.
Biotope
This species is endemic to Lake Malawi. They inhabit the moderately shallow waters of the transition zones above the sand during the breeding season. Outside this period, Lethrinops microstoma probably migrates to deeper waters.
Diet
In the wild, Lethrinops microstoma feeds on invertebrates and insect larvae that reside in the sand. To do this, they bite into the substrate and sieve it through their gills.
In the aquarium, it is not a picky eater. As long as you give them a variety of different foods to keep them healthy. You can feed them mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, snails, spirulina flakes, granules and the like.
The Aquarium
As explained above, it is best to keep Lethrinops microstoma in a species aquarium. That is, without any other species. In this way, the males show their best color.
Use an aquarium with a minimum length of about 150 centimeters for this. You can keep a group of two to four males in an aquarium this size. Place about two to three times as many females as males.
Set up the aquarium with (filter) sand on the bottom. Lethrinop’s microstoma sieves the sand in search of food particles. With rocks, you can create some caves, cracks and crevices. The females use these caves to hide from the attention of the males.
Provide plenty of fresh water. The temperature may be between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius. The pH preferably between 7.5 and 8.5.
The lighting does not have to be very strong. Plants do not really occur in the biotope of Lethrinops microstoma.
Breeding aquarium and conditioning
No special aquarium is required for breeding Lethrinops microstoma. They reproduce in the company of conspecifics or other species.
In the wild, Lethrinops microstoma breed only during the breeding period. In the aquarium they usually breed all year round.
In the wild, the males build a sand castle in a kind of breeding colony. These are usually found in shallow, sheltered bays. This sand hill has a kind of pit on top in which the couple can deposit the eggs. The Lethrinops microstoma male fiercely defends this stronghold against other Lethrinops microstoma males.
When females swim through the breeding colony, they are nudged by the males. The males try to seduce the females to go to their sand castle.
at night the castle is abandoned. Probably to prevent catfish from finding and eating the male at night. The males then join the foraging females.
The spawn
Once the male notices that the females are ready to deposit eggs, he chooses a spot in the sand under a rock. He defends the place against the other males.
The Lethrinops microstoma man now gets his most beautiful colors. To show this to the females, he spreads his fins wide. With trembling movements he shows his colors and fins to the female. With this he tries to lure her to his chosen place to spawn.
The couple circles around each other until the female is ready to deposit eggs in the sand. After laying a few eggs, the couple continues to circle. The female picks up the eggs to hatch them in her mouth.
The male, still circling, sweeps his anal fin across the sand. Egg spots are visible on the anal fin. The female tries to pick up the egg spots thinking they are eggs that have just laid. The male releases some sperm and fertilizes the eggs in the female’s mouth.
Raising the fry
The eggs hatch in the female’s mouth after a few days. The young Lethrinops microstoma only leave the female’s mouth after about three weeks. Until then, they largely live on their egg yolk sac. The female releases them when everything is safe. The young can then hide in the female’s mouth for another one to two weeks if there is any danger. After that, they really have to take care of themselves.
In the aquarium you can feed the young Lethrinops microstoma with crushed flake food and small live food such as brine shrimp. As they get older, you can feed them with increasingly larger food, which is also served to the parents.
Conclusion
This species can display brilliant colors when they are comfortable. They are therefore best suited for a special aquarium. If you meet their requirements, the colors can splash off. Therefore, only consider keeping this species if you are willing to give them the space and rest they need!
Video
Author
John de Lange
Copyright images
References
Back to Nature Gids voor Malawi Cichliden – Ad Konings
www.onzemalawicichliden.eu
einrichtungsbeispiele.de
tropicalfishsite
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