Care
The Sardine Cichlid is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it is most commonly found in open water closely adjacent to where steep rocky slopes give way to sandy substrates. Here, these gregarious fish gather their thousands to feed on tiny crustaceans and zooplankton drifting in the water column above the rock/sand interface. The aquarium that houses this energetic species should be at least 4ft long, with a good amount of filtration, water movement and oxygenation. The best choice of substrate would be coral sand or aragonite, which will help to keep the water hard and alkaline. Rocks should be used to create small outcrops, caves, and steeply sloping walls, ensuring that there are ample visual barriers, but do also leave generous expanses of sand. Hardy plants could also be incorporated into the aquascape if desired. C. leptostoma are generally peaceful but slightly skittish in the confines of the home aquarium, so large sized shoals of 15 or more will help them to feel more secure. These cichlids are best maintained in a species-only aquarium, but, in larger quarters, can be kept as part of a Tanganyikan community with fish of similar size and peaceful temperament (they should not be kept with belligerent species, otherwise they may stop feeding and the males will lose colour). Ideally, there will be a small number of males, outnumbered greatly by females. Having more than one male will help to ensure the fish display their best colours as they vie for female attention, and it should be noted that even subdominant males tend to show good colouration. The males may show a degree of territorial aggression towards one another, but a very spacious tank with a large sized group consisting of mainly females, this should not become a serious issue. Sardine Cichlids are intolerant of poor water conditions, so ensure small partial water changes are carried out on a frequent basis. Ensure the tank is well covered, as these fish are expert jumpers. Several geographical colour variants of this species are known: 'Ikola', 'Karilani', 'Kigoma', 'Mpulungu', and 'Utinta/Malasa', and interestingly all of these variants exist with populations of both blue tailed and yellow tailed males.
Feeding
Prefers small meaty frozen foods such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii), vitamin enriched brineshrimp, and mosquito larvae. Also offer a good quality flake and micropellets.
Breeding
Maternal mouthbrooder. Interestingly, male fish stake out virtual spawning territories located 3-dimensionally in the water column. The male fish will allow other fish to pass through his territory, only chasing away rival males, but should a ripe female approach, he will display to her. If receptive, she will follow him into the middle of his territory, with spawning then occurring in midwater. The male flaps his ventral fins (each tipped with a growth loosely resembling an egg) in a vigorous manner, triggering the female into mouthing at his vent, which in turn causes the male to release his milt, and this is then taken up into the mouth of the female. The female then assumes a head down position whilst the male mouths at her, instigating the release of a single egg. The female then quickly reverses so that she can catch the egg in her mouth, which mixes with the milt. She will catch a small succession of eggs in this same manner before the male returns, and the process is repeated until the female is spent of eggs. The female will carry the brood of up to 20 eggs in her mouth for 3-4 weeks before releasing the free-swimming fry. She will not eat during this time. When the fry are released, they will be large enough to take baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) and crushed flake. The young are left to fend for themselves, but in a species-only environment, the adult Sardine Cichlids do not tend to predate upon them. The fry will even school together, eventually joining the adult group when they reach approximately 2.5cm (1") in length.
