September/October - Hill Country Cichlid Club

Volume 2, Issue 26 

September-October 2007 

Inside This Issue 

Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga flameback" 

Opthalmotilapia heterodonta 

Stomatepia mariae 

F.O.T.A.S. 2007 Recap

The Lateral Line Page 2 

BAP Report 

August entries contained a month of firsts. Congratulations to Kevin 

(Sir BlackhOle) on his 1st of species spawning of Parachromis 

managuensis. This is a very large fish and his article on the caring 

and breeding of this species should be very interesting. Congrats 

Kevin. 

October 10, 2007 

INSIDE THIS 

ISSUE: 

X. sp. "Kyoga flameback" 4 

Opthalmo. heterodonta 7 

F.O.T.A.S. 2007 10 

Stomatepia mariae 16 

Upcoming Events 19 

Another 1st of species entry was submitted by Kenneth (Shelload) 

on the Dimidiochromis compressiceps. Kenneth entered the BAP in 

March and this is his 3rd entry of a 1st of species. Most important 

was the fact that this was his 5th entry into the program and qualifies 

him for the Breeders Award. Great work Kenneth on your accomplishments. 

Although the fry are 2 months old they still may be too 

small for transporting, but check with him. Kenneth also submitted 

two more entries, the Labidochromis caeruleus and the Aulonocara 

hueseri. Congrats Kenneth on your entries, keep them fry coming. 

It would not be a BAP month if we did not hear from Greg (GAS). 

And he has not disappointed us by entering another 1st of species. 

Congratulations on the Ctenochromis horei, which is a large and 

aggressive fish. If you're interested in the fry be prepared to have a 

large tank and plenty of refuge for the females. Congratulations 

Greg. 

Congratulations go out to Dan (dwschacht) on his first entry in the 

BAP. His first entry consisted of two entries, one was the Labidochromis 

caeruleus and the other was the Pseudotropheus acei, white 

tail. Congrats again Dan on your first two entries in the BAP. 

Cover Photo: 

Archocentrus sp. 

“Honduran Red 

Point” 

By Dave Hansen 

Congrats to all the 1st for August. September will host a 1st for the 

HCCC with the upcoming FOTAS Convention. Hope to see you 

there. 

Standings on Page 19. 

■ Jim Beck


HCCC Monthly Photo Contest 

First Place 

Dave Hansen 

Benitochromis nigrodorsalis 

Second Place 

Dave Hansen 

Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor 

multicolor 

Thrid Place 

Dave Hansen 

Steatocranus gibbiceps


Species Profile: 


The Kyoga Basin in Uganda is a large portion 

of the Victorian Nile drainage system. Situated 

North of Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga is the 

main body of water with many surrounding 

shallow bays and isolated finger-lakes. Lake 

Nawampassa is situated in the south east portion 

of this region and is separated from the 

main Kyoga waters by a thin strip of swamp. 

Lake Nawampassa is home not only to species 

found throughout the Kyoga Basin, but also to 

several endemics. Due to environmental fragility, 

all species from this region are considered 

threatened. Most of the cichlid lineages found 

in Lake Victoria have representatives in the 

Kyoga region and into Nawampassa. 

For the hobbyist, the furu from Kyoga are 

sought after due to their small size, adaptability 

to captive life and coloration (they are among 

the most colorful cichlids on the planet). These 

fish are not regularly seen at your local store so 

it may take some effort and digging to locate 

them. One such species is the vibrant Xystichromis 

sp. "Kyoga flameback". 

This species was first discovered in Lake 

Nawampassa by Julian Whitehead (in all 

probability) and later located by Les Kaufman, 

who gave this species the cheironym 

"Kyoga flameback". This may be a misnomer 

as it is uncertain if the Kyoga Flameback is 

actually found in Kyoga proper. X. sp. 

"Kyoga flameback' is not to be confused with 

Xystichromis sp. "flameback" that was discovered 

at Kisumu Kenya in 1989 by Dr. Kaufman. 

The latter species has a wide distribution 

within Lake Victoria and sports differing 

body markings. The Victorian flameback is a 

smaller species and a generalized feeder as is 

its Nawampassian cousin. To add to the confusion 

level, X. sp. "Kyoga flameback" is 

known by the trade name Haplochromis sp. 

"all red" Nawampassa. This cichlid is sometimes 

confused with Haplochromis sp. "all 

red" from Lake Edward. I feel that to avoid 

unnecessary misidentifications, one should 

refer to the fish as X. sp. "Kyoga flameback" 

(the original field name) and drop the 

other monikers. 

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Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga flameback" has 

an elongated, laterally compressed 

"haplochromine" body shape. The cranial 

profile is straight or slightly convex 

with large eyes and a medium sized 

mouth. There is a broken and thickened 

mid lateral black bar running the length 

of the body from the caudal peduncle to 

the gill plate. In regards to male coloration, 

the top portion of the body, includ-


ing the head is scarlet red. The lips and lower 

portion of the head is blue. The bottom portions 

of the flanks are lime-green and yellow. 

The dorsal fin is red foremost fading to blue at 

the rear while the caudal fin has blue streaks at 

the base flowing to completely red at the extremities. 

The anal fin is white-blue becoming 

red at the outer portion. The pelvic fins are jetblack. 

There is a straight black bar beginning 

at the corner of the lips and continuing through 

the eye. Female coloration is an 

unassuming tan-brown with the 

same markings found on the 

males. The lower jaw protrudes 

slightly beyond the upper. Bicuspid 

dentition is found in all but 

large adult males who show some 

unicuspid teeth in the outer rows. 

Wild populations are opportunistic 

insectivores who diet also consists 

of plant matter. Both sexes 

have an adult size of 12cm. These 

aspects are all consistent with the 

genus Xystichromis. Further research 

may result in a different or 

completely new designation, but for the time 

being, this seems to be the best fit. 

Xystichromis sp. "Kyoga flameback", is for the 

most part, a peaceful aquarium resident. Males 

will become aggressive among each other with 

the onset of spawning but in general remains 

rather placid. Despite its size (comparatively 

speaking) the Kyoga flameback can be easily 

bullied by other species so care and observation 

is crucial when choosing tank mates. I have 

been able to maintain the oral shellers with X. 

sp. "Kyoga flameback" devoid of incident. 

These species include Ptyochromis sp. 

"salmon", Platytaeniodus sp. "redtail sheller", 

and Haplochromis sp. "Kenya gold". I have 

tried working Pundamilia pundamilia and 

Pundamilia sp. "blue bar" in the mix but I 

believe these to be a little too boisterous and 

the X. sp "Kyoga flameback" failed to fully 

color. 

To successfully maintain X. sp "Kyoga flameback", 

one should house a colony in a tank of 

Photo by Dave Hansen 

no less that 40 gallons, preferably larger. A 

sand or small grain gravel substrate is favored 

as this cichlid enjoys "scooping" at the bottom 

while sifting for food. This vertical "head 

plunging" is a constant leisure activity. I employ 

some rockwork into all my tanks but this 

is for pure aesthetics as X. sp "Kyoga flameback", 

when content with its environment, 

prefers open areas. As with all responsible 

aquatic husbandries, adequate filtration and 

frequent water changes are required to keep 

this fish, as well as all others, in prime condition. 

Feeding should consist of a high quality


flake containing both protein and vegetable 

matter although a diet of spirulina flake with 

frozen or live brine shrimp, daphnia, or the 

like, is also suitable. 

At 6cm, males will begin to display the red 

coloration for which they are known. This 

usually occurs at seven months of age. Male 

coloration indicates sexual maturity so the first 

attempt at spawning takes place soon there 

after. The act of spawning is typical of the 

Photo by Dave Hansen 

haplochromines from the region. The males 

color intensifies while claiming and defending 

a small territory. This region is concentrated 

around some object (usually a rock). The male 

will dart at the ripe female and dance tilted to 

one side displaying his fully extended fins. She 

will eventually enter his territory and the two 

will begin circling each other. The male tilts so 

that his anal fin is laying on the substrate. The 

ocelli resemble the female's eggs in both color 

and size. As she nips at the egg spots, the male 

releases milt. She drops a small number of 

eggs and quickly turns to pick them up into 

her mouth. This process continues until she 

has fully expelled. She then leaves the spawning 

area to find a quiet area in which to brood 

her clutch. After 18 days (gestation period is 

dependant on water temperature) the larvae 

have fully absorbed their egg sac and the female 

releases her fry for a short spurt, to forage. 

Over the next two weeks the female releases 

her brood more often scooping them 

back into her buccal cavity when 

she feels they are in danger. The 

young will eventually be left to fend 

for themselves. Brood sizes are 

large and can number in excess of 

50. To ensure survival, we raise the 

fry in a separate tank where they 

grow quickly on a diet of finely 

crushed flake and Cyclop-eeze®. 


is rarely seen commercially in 

the aquarium hobby. If one is interested 

in obtaining a group to work 

with, I would suggest seeking a 

private breeder of commendable reputation. It 

may well take a lot of searching but the end 

result will be well worth the effort. These fish 

are a stand out in any aquarium they inhabit. 

Maintaining the Kyoga flameback will not 

only be a pleasure for you the aquarist, but 

also to the cichlid world in general as you 

would be helping to ensure the survival of a 

beautiful creature from a threatened ecosystem. 

■ Greg Steeves



Opthalmotilapia heterodonta 

This fish was originally purchased as Opthalmotilapia 

ventralis "Nyanza Lac". I had been 

on the lookout for a Featherfin species to place 

in my 180g tank. I was in the process of growing 

up a colony of Kapampa Frontosa and had 

seen the Boops and Furcifers. I thought these 

guys were some of the most beautiful fish I had 

ever seen. I had also heard stories of their 

Photo by Diane Tennison 

bower building, so I knew that I wanted to try 

some. I was told that Boops and Furcifer can 

be a little rough, so I began looking for ventralis. 

I was finally able to get a lead on a 

group of Nyanza Lac ventralis and purchased 6 

juveniles. The fish came in and I was a little 

"under-whelmed" at first. I brought home my 

bags of silver fish... Yes, as juvies, they are 

simply silver fish. I did note that if you put a 

spot light on them, or photographed them, they 

had a slight green sheen to their bodies with a 

rim of yellow over the top portion of their 

body. I patiently waited for 2 years before I 

started seeing any activity from my group. 

Amazingly, I ended up with 2 males and 4 

females! If you are even an inexperienced 

fishkeeper - you know the odds of those kinds 

of numbers are rare. I was, to say the least, a 

bit disappointed in my group as they remained 

silver fish but got larger. At 2 years, the 

males were a good 6 ½" and the females were 

around 4 ½". I would see pictures of other 

variants of ventralis or the other Featherfin 

species and just sigh. I was finally able to get 

a look at a photo of this variant and I was 

again a bit disappointed. The females are 

silver and the males, when displaying, are 

charcoal grey. Wow, insert sarcastic smiley 

here, looked like I had gotten the "dud" variant. 

While they continued to remain a relatively 

peaceful fish and loved to hang out as a 

group, they simply swam around the 6ft tank 

all day and remained silver… 

But, oh what a difference a day makes! I 

came home one day and noticed a pit in the 

middle region of my tank. It was towards the 

back of the tank up against a rock. WOW, 

was I finally going to get some spawning activity?? 

The larger, dominant male meticu- 

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lously began building his bower. He would 

spend hours, removing the sand from the middle 

and piling it up on the sides to create a perfect 

"bowl" shape. The other tank inhabitants 

(Frontosa juvies, a few Peacocks and Synodontis 

multipunctatus) were fascinated by the impression 

in the sand and were constantly exploring 

it. The male would allow this for a 

period of time and then would chase them off. 

While the bower building was a good sign, I 

could see no other indication that a spawn was 


near. The male would turn a dark steel gray 

color if he was agitated, but the females 

seemed to want no part of him. They were, 

apparently, completely unimpressed with his 

construction abilities. This went on for 

months. While I was excited at the first appearance 

of the bower, this was fast becoming 

a complete disappoint for me in my term as a 

fishkeeper. 

I should have known from my earlier disappointment 

with this species, that time is your 

friend when dealing with Featherfins (at least 

with this variant). I came home from work 

one day and was walking by the tank. Something 

odd caught my eye and I did a complete 

double take! The dominant male was almost 

black. His fins were practically glowing a 

beautiful dusty blue. WOW! What was going 

on?? I quickly grabbed my camera and shot 

some pictures. The photographs were even 

nicer than what I was looking at in person. I 

did a quick scan of the tank and found the 

group of females staying to one side. Upon 

closer inspection, one of the females was 

holding!! I was sooo excited. My only disappoint 

was that I had not been able to witness 

the actual spawn. Featherfins attract their 

mates in a unique fashion. The males will 

swim up to a female and quickly spin around. 

Then, with fins clamped, they will swish their 

bodies back and forth and slowly swim back 

to their bower. After listening to a lecture by 

Ad Konings, I learned that this behavior allows 

the scent of the male to wash over the 

female. This helps her determine that this is a 

fish that she can spawn with. In the wild, 

these fish will congregate over the lake bottom 

and the visibility can be a bit muddied by 

the constant stirring of the sediment. The 

males also have very bright yellow tips on the 

ends of their long pelvic fins. These are like 

headlights to the females, helping to lure them 

to the bower. Once inside the bower, the male 

will release some of his milt to entice the female 

in. He is constantly shimmying and his 

color is electric. He will circle around, low to 

the sand, while actually dragging his long 

pelvic fins along the top of the sand. The fe-


male thinks the yellow tips are eggs and tries to 

nip at them. While this is happening, the male 

will release more milt. The female will then 

lay her eggs - gathering them in her mouth as 

any typical mouthbrooder. The male will then 

circle and shimmy, releasing more milt which 

she will gather up - thus fertilizing the eggs. 


After this process, she returns to the group of 

females and the dance is over. After 14 days I 

stripped the female of 10 fully formed fry. 

They still had a bit of egg sac left so I put them 

into an acrylic breeder box and floated them in 

a 30L that contained some juvenile Victorian 

species. They were quite large for new fry (a 

good ¾") and were very active. An unfortunate 

outbreak of Ick in the 30L killed 4 of the fry 

leaving me with 7. The remaining fry have 

continued to grow. They look just like their 

parents when I first got them, silver fish with a 

green and yellow sheen in the light. 

Amazingly, I only recently found out that the 

fish I had kept for over 2 years and successfully 

spawned was NOT Opthalmotilapia ventralis 

but was actually Opthalmotilapia heterodonta. 

Dave (of Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish) 

directed me to a forum discussion where both 

species are discussed. Apparently, both species 

are collected from the same area in the 

Nyanza Lac region of Lake Tanganyika. 

They have the same outward physical characteristics, 

but the coloration is completely different. 

Where the ventralis is the dull charcoal 

grey color, the heterodonta is a steel blue 

color with intense neon powder blue on the 

fins. I have not been able to find much published 

about the differences between heterodonta 

and ventralis. I will say that I am really 

glad that I didn't jump the gun on this beautiful 

fish. It took some patience, but it was well 

worth it in the end. I highly recommend this 

species to anyone who wants to give Featherfins 

a try. They need a long tank, but do fairly 

well with tankmates (at least in my experience). 

There is a bit of aggression in the 

group, but it amounts to chasing each other 

around. I did not experience any nipped fins 

or other wounds and the holding female had 

no problems remaining in the tank during her 

gestation. 

■ Diane Tennison 

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HCCC Event: 

F.O.T.A.S. 2007 Recap 

My first big aquatic convention was in Houston 

at FOTAS 2003. I had been to a couple auctions 

before but the cichlid hobby wasn't the 

attraction in the Maritimes as it is here. Shortly 

after relocating to Texas I met two other cichlid 

hobbyists in Robert De Leon (ripple) and Paul 

Barber (paul). Lee Ann had been a member of 

CASA (Cichlid Association of San Antonio) 

but this club had dissolved before I could become 

involved. It didn't take long for us to 

have a "fish get together" 

at which time 

out beloved Hill 

Country Cichlid Club 

was formed. As I 

remember, there was 

no doubt that we had 

enough interest to 

form a club, at the 

time, the conversation 

centered on what 

we would call it. Sue 

Barber came up with 

the name and immediately was agreed upon by 

all in attendance. I digress. 

Being a loose group of friends sitting around 

and talking about fish was fantastic, but when I 

learned of a convention only three hours away, 

Lee Ann and I were packing for Houston. We 

found the hotel on the south side of town right 

on the gulf, registered and did a walk about. It 

was here that I first met Charles Jones, the 

Englands, Kathy Stearns and others that I consider 

great friends now. Spencer Jack and I 

Photo by Greg Steeves 

had corresponded prior to my move to Texas 

but had never met. Luckily, he, Jeff Cardwell 

and Heiko Bleher were the scheduled speakers. 

The Houston Aquarium Society does 

everything with class and the weekend was 

fantastic. It was here that I learned a little bit 

about FOTAS during a dinner talk by Hal 

Collins. At this time there were only three 

societies in the FOTAS and the Fish Judges 

Registry. Our club joined FOTAS shortly 

after this and we were 

added to the bottom of 

the FOTAS host convention 

list. This put 

our kick at the can in 

2007. It seemed like a 

world away then but 

how time flies! 

As 2007 drew closer, 

and we began to loosely 

organize things, it became 

painfully evident 

that this venture was going to take a considerable 

investment by the HCCC. Fortunately, 

our membership was either in agreement with 

hosting the convention or complacent with 

club goings on. Whatever the rational, we 

began fund raising and cutting back on club 

activities that required spending of club funds. 

Not only did the HCCC flourish during this 

lean time, we also grew. It is obvious that, 

although great activities are a big attraction to 

any organization, ours is dependant on the 

friendships and camaraderie of the members.


I am not going to mention every person that 

contributed to FOTAS because that would encompass 

an article of its own, but I want to 

mention that one individual in particular contributed 

his time and energy on everything 

from securing a location to choosing 

a caterer. Jim Beck went way 

beyond what would be expected of 

anyone and I just can't think of 

where we would have been without 

him. I am going to forego the 

planning of the event and get right 

to the actual Convention. 

The Federation of Texas Aquarium 

Societies 2007 convention was 

held in San Antonio Texas at the 

Marriot Springhill Suites. Upon 

entering the hotel, across from the 

front desk was the registration table 

manned by HCCC volunteers. 

Here you could also purchase an 

official FOTAS 2007 shirt made 

by our own Virginia Dockwiller. Every registrar 

received a bag of goodies provided by club 

supporters. The American Cichlid Association 

also provided free copies of the Buntbarsche 

Bulletin, their official publication. This was 

most popular with the fish heads in attendance. 

For most folks, the step after registration was to 

check out the showroom. Here there were over 

100 tanks of both competing show entries and 

vendors who were offering their stock for sale. 

This was a popular room with many stories and 

tales flying. The laughter and chuckles emanating 

from this area clearly displayed that the 

weekend was off to a great start. 

After a little schedule juggling, the speakers 

began their presentations. First up was Juan 

Migual Artigas Azas. This was a very special 

engagement for Juan because he brought his 

mother with him. This was the first time she 

Photo by Nick Andreola 

had the opportunity to hear him speak. Juan is 

a fantastic lecturer and of course the authority 

on Central American cichlids. He spoke on 

Herichthys species. 

Next up was our own Dave Hansen. Everyone 

was really looking forward to Dave's pho- 

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tography talk and he did not disappoint. He 

spoke to a full house on aquarium photography. 

In true Dave style, he managed to get a couple 

zingers in (at Rob Teague's expense). Getting 

up during his lecture is like sitting in the front 

row of a George Carlin show. It is NOT where 

you want to be! 

Saturday morning started with a 

nice breakfast that was provided by 

the hotel. First up on the speaker 

lineup was Spencer Jack. He 

spoke on a collecting trip he took 

to Surinam while still in his 

Sponge Bob pajamas. I'm not a 

morning person either. 

After Spencer's talk Anton Lamboj 

spoke on West African cichlids. 

His talk was also packed. Anton 

had arrived in San Antonio the 

week before FOTAS so a few of us 

got to know him really well. He's 

a wonderful speaker and a great 

person. I'm quite sure that we'll 

being seeing him in Texas again. 

After Anton's talk we broke for lunch. Diane 

and I had to attend the annual FOTAS meeting 

but this was nice and short (thanks Marvin). 

After the meeting we broke for lunch. Hernan 

Lopez-Fernandez and his girlfriend Karen met 

us at the hotel. Hernan, Anton, Spencer, 

Karen, Lee Ann and I went across the street to 

Jim's for lunch. While we were waiting for the 

light to change the angle of the crosswalk 

looked to me like the cover of the Beatles Abbey 

Road album. Without hesitation we reenacted 

the famous scene. 

When we returned from lunch the Babes in 

the Cichlid Hobby (B.I.T.C.H.) had set up 

their silent auction. Proceeds from their fundraisers 

go towards cichlid research and they 

had a successful drive on this weekend. In 

attendance were three of the original 


BITCHES: Caroline Estes, Pam Marsh and 

Pam Chin. I think that they made our own 

Duc a BITCH here as well. 

We returned to catch Juan's second talk on 

Central American Rheophilus Cichlids. This 

was a packed house once again. Juan has to 

be the nicest guy in all fishdom. I really wish 

I could have had more time to spend with my 

friend but the weekend was quite hectic and 

spare time was at a premium. 

Spencer then gave us another talk on collecting 

in Uruguay. He displayed photos of cich-


lids never before seen and even brought some 

to the show. They were all quickly taken of 

course so I'll have to wait until our club members 

breed them. The talk was very interesting 

but seemed to me to be half devoted to the 

cichlids he collected and half to insulting Jeff 

Cardwell. Regardless, there were lots of laughs 

(most at Jeff's expense). 


After Spencer finished up everyone was shoed 

out of the lecture room because it was soon to 

become the banquet hall. The show room was 

closed for judging and people hung out in the 

lobby or went to their room to prepare for the 

banquet. 

If there was one glitch in the entire weekend it 

was the seating arrangements at the banquet. 

As people started piling in it became painfully 

evident that I had misjudged the room size vs. 

the number of attendees. After a few major 

adjustments and people being squeezed together 

like sardines in a can, we somehow 

managed to get everyone seated. As a testament 

to fish folks in general, very few comments 

were made about the cramped quarters 

even though there was more than enough reason 

for complaint. The meal was fantastic. 

There was lots of great food. Jim really 

picked an incredible caterer. After eating, 

Dave Hansen emceed our evening. He hosted 

a contest where each speaker 

wrote a question that was relevant 

to their talk. The first to answer 

the question was given a FOTAS 

shirt. This was of course, all a set 

up. A few days before, I had 

taken Anton to Gruene. He was 

doing the tourist thing. While 

there we visited a music store that 

sold only material from Texas 

artists. It was here that I learned 

that Anton had a Kris Kristofferson 

collection. At this store he 

had found the cds he was missing 

to complete collection. I'm thinking 

that he had maybe seven or 

eight cds but was shocked to learn that he had 

25 or so! So anyways, at the banquet we took 

the question Anton made up and discarded it. 

Dave asked if there was anyone who could 

name five Kris Kristofferson albums. Everyone 

kind of looked at each other like 

"what???" and then Anton raises his hand. 

After he rung off five titles, he suddenly realized 

that he had been punked. No one else 

knew what had just happened but Anton, 

Dave and I got a good laugh. 

Dr. Keith Arnold then started the Braz Walker 

auction. There were three items donated this


year and they all did very well. I did not get an 

exact total of the money that was made but 

thanks to Rob Teague, it had to be in excess of 

$300.00. 

After the Braz Walker auction Dave, Jim and I 

presented the show awards. The place was 

such a tight fit that we couldn't even have people 

come up and receive their awards. We had 

to pass them to the recipients. The results were 

as follows: 

Division A1: 

1st Archocentrus panamensis Marvin England 

2nd Tahuanpinsuyoa nacantzatza Duc Nguyen 

3rd Gymnogeophagus balzanii Dave Hansen 

Division A2: 

1st Viaha regani Kathy Stearns 

2nd Cichlosoma sp. Charles Jones 

3rd Chuco godmanni Dave Schumacher 

Division A3: 

1st Symphysodom sp. Jim Smith 

2nd Symphysodom sp. Jim Smith 

Best of division A: 

Viaha regani Kathy Stearns 

Division B4: 

1st Ctenochromis horei Greg Steeves 

2nd Tropheus dubosi Kathy Stearns 

3rd Eretmodus cyanostictus Robert De Leon 

Division B5: 

1st Opthalmotilapia nasuta Dian Tennison 

2nd Cyprichromis pavo Dave Schumaucher 

3rd Paracyprichromis nigripinnnis Diane Tennison 

Division B6: 

1st Neolamprologus cunningtoni Dave Schumacher 

2nd Julidochromis marlieri David Andrews 

3rd Lepidolamprologus lamarii Dave Schumacher 

Best of Division B: 

Neolamprologus cunningtoni Dave Schumacher 

Division C7: 

1st Melanochromis labrossus Marvin England 

2nd Labidochromis hongi Pat Malinger 

3rd Pseudotropheus pulipican Dave Hansen 

Division C8: 

1st Aulonocara maleri Diane Tennison 

Division C9: 

1st Protomelas taeniolatus Jim Beck 

2nd Protomelas taeniolatus JB Edmundson 

3rd Copadochromis borelyi David Andrews 

Best in Division C: 

Protomelas taeniolatus Jim Beck 

Division D10: 

1st Pundamilia sp. "red flank" Greg Steeves 

2nd Paralabidochromis sp. "red fin piebald" Greg 

Steeves 

3rd Pundamilia sp. "blue bar" Greg Steeves 

Division D11: 

1st Thysochromis ansorgii Marvin England 

2nd Benitochromis nigrodorsalis Dave Hansen 

3rd Thysochromis ansorgii Dave Hansen 

Division D12: 

1st Orthochromis stormsi Dave Hansen 

2nd Etia nguti Dave Hansen 

3rd Steatocranus gibberceps Duc Nguyen 

Division D13: 

1st Katria kartia Jim Beck 

2nd Stomatepia pindu Jim Beck 

Best in Division D: 

Orthochromis stormsi Dave Hansen 

Best in Show Cichlid: 

Orthochromis stormsi Dave Hansen 

Division E14: 

1st Synodontis decorus Keith Arnold 

2nd Synodontis angelicus Lee Ann Steeves 

3rd Synodontis nigrolineatus Kathy Stearns 

Division E15: 

1st Anaspidoglanis macrostoma Marvin England 

2nd Species unknown Charles Jones


3rd Ancistruis sp. "bristlenose" Phil Tucker 

Best in Show Catfish: 

Anaspidoglanis macrostoma Marvin England 

Division F16: 

1st Photo Xystichromis phytophagus Dave Hansen 

2nd Photo Beauty of Cichlids Book Dave Hansen 

3rd West African Poster Dave Hansen 

Division F17: 

1st Quilt Virginia Dockwiller 

2nd Necklace Paula De Leon 

3rd Bracelet Paula De Leon 

Peoples Choice Award: 

Protomelas taeniolatus Jim Beck 

The show judges were Spencer Jack and Nick 

Andreola,, Malawi and Tanganyika cichlids, 

Juan Migual and Dave Dockwiller South and 

Central Amerian cichlids, Anton Lamboj and 

Rob Teague handled Victoria and West African 

cichlids. Caroline Estes judged catfish and 

Pam Chin judged photography and crafts. 

After the banquet we took a brief break so the 

room could be cleaned and then reconverged to 

listen to Anton's talk on collecting in the 

Congo. The fish he discovered made everyone 

want to book a flight to Brazville but hearing 

his story about getting taken hostage and held 

captive for a number of hours made everyone 

glad to be in Texas. 

The next morning while the show room was 

being torn down, the auction was being set up. 

This ran from 11:00 am until about 6:00pm and 

had nearly 500 items. There were some great 

deals to be had and rare finds as well. Charles 

Jones and Dave Hansen shared the brunt of the 

auctioneering (as they usually do) but Robert 

De Leon filled in for a time as did Dave 

Schumacher who made is auctioneering debut. 

Diane and Stuart worked the front all afternoon 

without a break! During the auction I 

went out to the lobby for a quick break and 

laughed when I seen mullet fast asleep on a 

chair. It was well deserved as he hadn't 

stopped running all weekend. Of course JB 

and I had to take advantage of the situation to 

get an embarrassing photo of him drooling. 

The auction wore down and we all packed up. 

It was hard to believe that FOTAS had come 

and was ending so suddenly. It has become 

tradition that after an auction, a bunch of us 

go have dinner together to just hang around 

and laugh. This is really what the club is all 

about. Charles, Marian, Prosper, Lee Ann and 

I all went to Tom's Ribs for a farewell supper. 

We were all so exhausted that it's a wonder 

we didn't fall asleep at the meal. It was nice 

to reflect on the weekend but seemed unfair 

(and at the same time a relief) that it was over. 

It'll be a long wait until the TCA spring show 

but, as the saying goes, absence makes the 

heart grow fonder. I guess this is all a prelude 

to when we host the ACA in 2012. 

It's so hard to recap the events at FOTAS. I 

know that everyone has their own stories and 

special memories of the weekend. I want to 

thank everyone who came together to make 

this convention one of the most enjoyable fish 

happenings I have ever been a part of. The 

rest of the Texas aquarium community got to 

see first hand the special group we have here 

at the HCCC. 

■ Greg Steeves



Stomatepia mariae 

Cichlids are a favorite of many hobbyists enjoying 

tropical fresh water species. Areas of interest 

range from North America to South America and 

everything in between. African cichlids and 

those from Asia are also included in the vast list. 

If you mention African cichlids, the rift lakes are 

a mainstay to the hobby. These lakes include 

Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and 

the Lake Victoria Basin. These three 

lakes are well known for being home to 

some of the favorite cichlids, but Africa 

has more to offer. Scattered along the 

Atlantic coastline of West Africa are 

several dormant crater lakes. "They 

cover an area of 4,200 square miles and 

include Barombi Mbo, Bermin, Dissoni/Soden, 

Benakouma, Kotto, and 

Mboandong. They are very small and 

with an area of less than two miles (5 

km)." (NationalGeographic.com ) 

The Lake Barombi Mbo was formed over a million 

years ago (Cornen et al 1992). "Lake Barombi 

Mbo is a small lake only 2.5 kilometers 

wide, but 110 meters deep. As there is no large 

current to turn the water, only the top portion (40 

meters) contains acceptable oxygen levels to 

harbor vertebrate life. Still here, a rich mostly 

endemic group of cichlids (and other fish) have 

evolved." (Steeves, 2003) This tropical lake 

where temperature ranges from 25 - 27 C / 77 - 

80.6 F is home to several types of fish including 

those that are endemic to this lake. "The incredible 

cichlid fauna composed by 17 species, 

12 of which are endemic to the lake, seven of 

those endemic species are classified in four endemic 

genera (Konia, Myaka, Pungu and 

Stomatepia) (The Cichlid Room Companion). 

My first species from the lake was the Stomatepia 

pindu. (Trewavas, 1972). Its predatory 

shape, long and sleek, and solid black coloration, 

enticed me into purchasing them and also 

the fact they were on the endangered species 

list. Thus my interest in the Lake and my attempt 

to help preservation led me to the 

Stomatepia mariae (Holly, 1930) which is 

listed as critically threatened on the IUCN red 

list (Critically Endangered (CR) (B1+2c) (Ref. 

36508)). Human population growth, deforestation 

of the region and predation by other species 

are leading factors threatening its existence. 

(IUCN Red List) 

I presently am helping to preserve the Myaka 

species, one Konia species (eisentrauti), and 

two of the Stomatepia species (pindu and 

mariae). Of these four species I only have two 

that are currently spawning. And it happens to


be the Stomatepia pindu and Stomatepia mariae 

(Holly 1930), which are housed together in a 55 

gallon tank. Along with the five S. pindu and 

five S. mariae is a pair of Limnochromis auritus 

(Boulenger, 1901). San Antonio's water comes 

from the Edwards Aquifer and is very hard and 

very suitable for these fish. Water temperature is 

maintained at 80 degrees F. Small gravel base 

supports four rocks and two live plants; both are 

Aponogeton fenestralis "West Coast Madagascan 

Lace". Water changes of 20% to 40% are a 

weekly occurrence, and filters are routinely inspected 

and cleaned as required. 

I acquired my S. mariae in February 2007 from a 

local fish store, "Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish" 

which has been very helpful in assisting me in 

my quest for species from Barombi Mbo Lake. I 

am currently raising two groups of fry from the 

S. Mariae, but more on this later. 

General information list the common name for 

S. mariae is Nsess. Stats show that males will 

reach a max size of 12.0 cm (4 ½ inches). I believe 

I have 2 males and three females. The alpha 

male has attained a length of 7.6 cm (3 

inches) while the other male and females are 

slightly smaller. The males and females are 

light copper or light bronze with a solid 

black horizontal band running the entire 

length of its body. The gill plates are transparent 

enough to see the pink gills. They are 

sleek and slender with a pointed head which 

allows them to be an excellent predator. 

They have the same body shape as the S. 

pindu but not as bulky. 

My feeding ritual is once daily late at night, 

around 10 pm. There is a 30 minute grace 

period after feeding before the tank lights are 

turned off and 15 more minutes before darkening 

the room. I do not alter my feedings before 

during or after spawning. I feed a mixture of 

HBH® Seafood Lovers and HBH® Graze 

Vegetable flake. I feed this same mixture to the 

fry except in a finely crushed form. 

Spawning of the S. mariae has been an interesting 

learning experience. The information I had 

gathered indicated they were a substrate egg 

laying species. Since I have not been privileged 

to the actual spawning due to the fact it is occurring 

behind rocks and the fact that the only 

way I know that they have spawned is observing 

the female "holding" fry. The information 

and my observations were conflicting and was 

not resolved until I received a reply from Joerg 

Albering in Austria: "Concerning Stomatepia 

species: all three Stomatepia are ovophilic maternal 

(although once I also observed a male 

carrying the larvae) mouthbreeders. It takes 10- 

12 days from spawning to free-swimming of 

the fry - depending on the water temperature." 

This may be the reason I have not observed my 

S. pindu, spawn, because they are also hiding. 

The norm for my pindu and mariae is 16 days 

Amazonia International 


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when they are "stripped". 

I mentioned earlier that I have two groups of fry 

working at this time and I am only successful 

because of my trial and error with the S. pindu. It 

appears that the Stomatepia species are all very 

skittish and are easily frightened. All of my fry 

have been ejected the moment the female has 

been netted. This is an automatic "stripping" as 

they spit out the fry every time when they touch 

the net. This makes retrieving them very hard. I 

have to remove all decorations very slowly and 

pause during the removal. Once the tank is clear 

of obstacles, I attempt to net the female, which is 

also a slow process to be successful. Once she is 

netted, she will release the fry, if not then, the 

moment she reaches the surface, she will definitely 

release. The one time that I hurried led to 

the fry being let go in the tank and were soon 

gone. The S. mariae started spawning at about 3 

inches and has had a total of 5 spawning attempts 

of which only two were successful. 

S. mariae tolerates other species in the tank and 

show some aggressiveness toward co-specs 

which does intensify during spawning. Another 

interest observation is that just before spawning 

begins, approximately 2 or 3 days prior, all of 

the females turn a black color as the S. pindu. 

This includes the sub-adult male although he 

does not turn as dark. And it does not matter if 

it's the S. pindu or S. mariae that are about to 

spawn, only the S. mariae alpha male remains 

his light color. So I try to be watchful when 

they darken to try and catch a glimpse of the 

spawning, but so far I have not been successful. 

I also pay close attention, to make sure there is 

no cross breeding. It does not appear to be a 

problem, even with the S. mariae turning 

darker. 

If you intend to breed any of the Stomatepia 

species, do yourself a favor and plan ahead. 

Research will help cut down your losses and 

improve your fry count. A large tank to give 

ample swimming area to reduce stress and damage 

during spawning and plenty of places for 

refuge will acceptably house this species. S. 

pindu requires a high protein diet. If one is 

fortunate enough to have a spawn, I can not 

stress enough that careful removal of the female 

is necessary. 

■ Jim Beck 

References and Acknowledgements: 

—Editor and consultant: Greg Steeves 

—Steeves, Greg. (2003) Insight on Barombi Mbo, 

Cameroon -Originally published in The Lateral Line, 

the official publication of the Hill Country Cichlid 

Club 

—The Cichlid Room Companion 

—IUCN Red List of Endangered Species - Critically 

Endangered (CR) (B1+2c)(Ref. )(Ref. 36508) http:// 

www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/20866/all 

—Joerg Albering, Austria 

—NationalGeographic.com


Event Calendar: 

Upcoming Events in Texas 

October 

October 13th 

Time: 1 P.M. 

Hill Country Cichlid Club—Monthly meeting 

in Austin. Speaker—Marcus from Aquatek 

October 20th 

Time: Noon 

Texas Cichlid Association—Fall auction in 

Irving. Visit www.texascichlid.org for more 

information. 

Bracken Fellowship Hall in North San Antonio. 

Visit www.hillcountrycichlidclub.com 

for more information when it becomes available. 

Date: TBD 

Time: TBD 

Texas Cichlid Association — Annual Christmas 

Party and Crazy Santa Gift Exchange. 

Visit www.texascichlid.org for more information 

when it becomes available. 

November 

November 4th 

Time: ??? 

Houston Aquarium Society— 

Fall auction in Houston. Visit 

houstonaquariumsociety.org for 

more information. 

December 

December 8th 

Time: ??? 

Houston Aquarium Society— 

Holiday Party at Glen’s House. 

Visit houstonaquariumsociety.org 

for more information. 

Date: TBD 

Time: TBD 

Hill Country Cichlid Club— 

Christmas Party and pot luck. 

Current BAP Standings 

Name 

YTD 

Greg S. 205 

Jim 130 

Kenneth 130 

Diane 105 

Dave H. 90 

Greg W. 85 

Marty 50 

Doc 50 

Kevin 45 

Current Standings (cont) 

Name 

YTD 

Christy 35 

Lisa Bo. 30 

Dan 30 

Paul 30 

Duc 25 

Eric 25 

Lisa Bl. 20 

Pat 15 

Nick 5

The Lateral Line 

Official Publication of the 

Hill Country Cichlid Club

September/October - Hill Country Cichlid Club

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