Coloration
Pseudotropheus saulosi is rather known cichlid and like in the case of the other african lakes endemits also in this species exist the color variants. One of them is called „Coral Red“. It is an attractive species because both sexes are colored nicely. The male is beautiful blue, the lower part of the body from the mouth through the pelvic and anal fins are dark blue to blue-black colored. This variant differs from the basic coloration by the vertical bars which are narrower and not so strong. The females are dark orange.

I got 6 fishes in size of about 3 cm. The young fishes are orange and males begin to show the blue color in size of about 4-5 cm. First, the orange color looks like dirty and gradually changes to blue color. The male looks very interesting in the transition stage of coloring up when the mix of orange and blue is noticeable. I had two fully colored males which were shaking and displaying each other. In the group, there was one more male and he was still dirty orange colored. His body looked like a female but he doesn’t struggle with the dominant males.

Keeping
As the fishes are relatively small they don’t need a big aquarium. A 150 litre tank is enough. They can be kept with other not too big malawian cichlids. When the fishes were young I have never observed the aggressive behaviour towards the other species. Also the attacks towards the females were not too dangerous. They were able to „negotiate“ on the tank occupation without the aggressive behaviour. Later, when they mature, the male tried to create their own territories and they started to fight. The fights were harder and harder and the winner was chasing the loser around the tank. He often ended injured in the tank corner. The subdominant males which have orange or pale blue-orange coloration can change their color to blue unexpectedly quickly. These males try to fight with the dominant one. Suddenly, I had three blue males in the tank. The sex ratio is two males and a few females in my experience. The tank should contain the rock piles like with other mbunas. However, it is not needed to make many caves because they don’t search for them and swim around the tank all the day. In the smal tank, there would be probably better to offer them more hiding places.

Breeding
When the orange colour of males are changing to blue the first spawn appears. They spawn like other mouthbrooders. The male attracts the female to the selected place with a small depression in the sand. Both fishes are then swimming in a circle and releasing the eggs and sperm in T-position. After the spawn, the female stays in a secrecy for a few hours but later is swimming around the tank with other fishes. In the end of the holding period she tries to take the small particles of the food. I left the firts spawn to its own in the community tank and after about 22 days the female released the fry. I was not able to note them so they were eaten by the other fishes. The female was considerably emaciated but despite this fact she held the fry in her mouth obstinately during the whole holding period.














Feeding
The fishes should be fed with the vegetable diet according to the data from their natural habit. There is not a problem to mix the vegetable diet with the food containing the higher part of the animal proteins. I used to mix the quality flakes like Sera Flora and Sera San (or the other flakes, i.e. Tropical) with a ratio of 50:50. I also added the dried shrimps to this mixture. Except of the flake mixture I used to feed the frozen cyclops few times a week. I feed the fishes 3 times a day. The fishes also like the raw lettuce leaves attached to the stone. In the end of this article I have one tip for you: if you want to get the intense red-orange coloration of the fishes it will be needed to feed the live cyclops from a safe source after the fry are released.

Conclusion
Pseudotropheus saulosi "Coral Red" is a very nice fish and in the appropriate water quality also not difficult fish which can spawn in the community tank with no problems.


An English edited by Scott Mitchell