The Auratus has a general elongated appearance. The profile of the dorsal area is more curved in than the belly area. The anal and dorsal fins end in a round shape. They do not reach the tail area. The caudal fin is somewhat triangular in shape with a concave end. Females are smaller than males. They are african fish, the southwestern shore of lake Malawi.
THE HABITAT
In the lake, it is not bound to any particular habitat. It occurs both in rocky habitats and intermediate zones (rock and sandy).Auratus is an aggressive fish and intolerant of others in its territory. The set up should be a typical Lake Malawi biotope. Plenty of rockwork and caves with hard alkaline water with a pH of at least 7.5 is needed. The bottom substrate should be of a material that will aid in the pH buffering capabilities of the water. Good substrate choices could be Dolomite or crushed coral to aid in buffering the water. Tankmates should be from the same area and be able to fend off their attentions. Feeding is not difficult as they will accept all types of flake frozen or live. In their home territory they would graze of the algae covered rocks called Aufwuchs, so it is important to supplement with food containing spirulina and this should be given regularly.
BREEDING
Not really difficult, they are a typical African mouth-brooder incubating the eggs and protecting their fry in special sacs in the mouth. They are excellent and protective parents and have been known to raise young in crowded community set ups. During this brooding the female will not eat. The young fish will leave the mothers mouth after about twenty five days and be about 1/3 of an inch in length. They will accept all types of food and can grow quickly.
FEEDING
Melanochromis chipokae is easy to feed. In the lake it is a true omnivore. Reports have found filmentous algae, zooplankton and cichlid fry in the stomachs of wild caught individuals. Provide a good quality cichlid flake and spirulina flake.
COLORATION
The Auratus have two distinct coloration patterns differentiating the sexes. The females body is a golden yellow. She has a series of three Black to brown stripes running lengthwise down the body. These are fringed by White strips. The bands are separated with the Golden color of the body. The fins are also yellow in color. The upper part of the tail fin and the dorsal fin have black markings on them, with the tips being highlighted in Red. The male is completely different in color. His body is Black to brown in color. He has a Yellow stripe edged in white running the length of his body. The males fins are very dark Brown fringed in White. The top of his body is a mustard color which is followed up through the dorsal fin. The upper part of his tail fin has pale yellow spot. Looking at these fish you would not think that they are the same species. Another interesting aspect of the auratus is its ability to change sexes, in an environment devoid of males a female will switch sexes and become male. It has also been stated that the same is true of the males.
THE HIGHLIGHT
The species grows to 12 cm (even more in an aquarium) and is regarded among the most aggressive mbunas. It should be housed with species of equal or bigger size and of the same temperament. Keeping more than one male in a tank is almost impossible in tanks smaller than 150 cm (450 liters). Even then, all other males will be probably killed by the dominant one. Despite the presence of two females, my dominant female killed the submissive one in less than a month. Females are also territorial and intolerant of their own species and are extremely aggressive when carrying eggs. It is not unusual for a male M. auratus to kill one or more of the females. This is especially true in small tanks so I recommend you take the minimum tank size seriously into account if you plan to keep this fish. A Juvenal looks alot like the female and I think the biggest difference is that a female will have black/dark blue along the top portion of her tail. Also Juvenals color patterns don't seem to be as well defined. The common name for them is Golden Cichlid.
THE HABITAT
In the lake, it is not bound to any particular habitat. It occurs both in rocky habitats and intermediate zones (rock and sandy).Auratus is an aggressive fish and intolerant of others in its territory. The set up should be a typical Lake Malawi biotope. Plenty of rockwork and caves with hard alkaline water with a pH of at least 7.5 is needed. The bottom substrate should be of a material that will aid in the pH buffering capabilities of the water. Good substrate choices could be Dolomite or crushed coral to aid in buffering the water. Tankmates should be from the same area and be able to fend off their attentions. Feeding is not difficult as they will accept all types of flake frozen or live. In their home territory they would graze of the algae covered rocks called Aufwuchs, so it is important to supplement with food containing spirulina and this should be given regularly.
BREEDING
Not really difficult, they are a typical African mouth-brooder incubating the eggs and protecting their fry in special sacs in the mouth. They are excellent and protective parents and have been known to raise young in crowded community set ups. During this brooding the female will not eat. The young fish will leave the mothers mouth after about twenty five days and be about 1/3 of an inch in length. They will accept all types of food and can grow quickly.
FEEDING
Melanochromis chipokae is easy to feed. In the lake it is a true omnivore. Reports have found filmentous algae, zooplankton and cichlid fry in the stomachs of wild caught individuals. Provide a good quality cichlid flake and spirulina flake.
COLORATION
The Auratus have two distinct coloration patterns differentiating the sexes. The females body is a golden yellow. She has a series of three Black to brown stripes running lengthwise down the body. These are fringed by White strips. The bands are separated with the Golden color of the body. The fins are also yellow in color. The upper part of the tail fin and the dorsal fin have black markings on them, with the tips being highlighted in Red. The male is completely different in color. His body is Black to brown in color. He has a Yellow stripe edged in white running the length of his body. The males fins are very dark Brown fringed in White. The top of his body is a mustard color which is followed up through the dorsal fin. The upper part of his tail fin has pale yellow spot. Looking at these fish you would not think that they are the same species. Another interesting aspect of the auratus is its ability to change sexes, in an environment devoid of males a female will switch sexes and become male. It has also been stated that the same is true of the males.
THE HIGHLIGHT
The species grows to 12 cm (even more in an aquarium) and is regarded among the most aggressive mbunas. It should be housed with species of equal or bigger size and of the same temperament. Keeping more than one male in a tank is almost impossible in tanks smaller than 150 cm (450 liters). Even then, all other males will be probably killed by the dominant one. Despite the presence of two females, my dominant female killed the submissive one in less than a month. Females are also territorial and intolerant of their own species and are extremely aggressive when carrying eggs. It is not unusual for a male M. auratus to kill one or more of the females. This is especially true in small tanks so I recommend you take the minimum tank size seriously into account if you plan to keep this fish. A Juvenal looks alot like the female and I think the biggest difference is that a female will have black/dark blue along the top portion of her tail. Also Juvenals color patterns don't seem to be as well defined. The common name for them is Golden Cichlid.
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