Xenotilapias are peaceful and enjoyable Tanganyika cichlids that unfortunatley are quite difficult to find at retailers. They are quite expensive as well.
They eat just about anything that isn't too large. The shrimps-peas-spinach mix that I shared a recipe on in a post on my subreddit r/Tanganyikacichlids is good staple food for them. Frozen Artemia and cyclops are good food as well. Flake food is OK. They need an aquarium with fine sand as a bottom material, as their normal feeding behaviour is to take mouthful of sands and filter it through their giles in search for invertebrates.
They should be kept in groups. At least 8 Xenotilapias together is recommended. Change about a quarter of the tank water once a week. A diffusor is great to get the water oxygened well. It is good to add a few spoons of salt to the water while changing it.
These fishes can bring magic to an aquarium. The sandy bottoms in their tanks brings a variation to the predominatley rocky interiors in other Tanganyika aquariums.
There is something about them and their curious eyes, funny feeding behaviour, peaceful nature and overall appearance that I find very appealing.
Picture 1: Xenotilapia flavipinnis. Picture 2: Xenotilapia ochrogenys. Picture 3: Xenotilapia spilopterus. Picture 4: Xenotilapia bathypilus. Picture 5: Xenotilapia sima. Picture 6: Xenotilapia papilio.
Posted by Ok_History_4163
1 Comment
Ooh, they’re very pretty! Too bad I don’t have enough space and money, my hard water would be perfect for them. 🙂