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How to look after
Nanochromis transvestitus
Mai-Ndombe dwarf cichlid
Stewart & Roberts, 1984

This image shows the female, with red belly and stripey tail
more images here

(Other members of the genus Nanochromis)

ADULT SIZE: 6 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Very soft and acidic

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 26-29 C

FOOD: Feed Nanochromis transvestitus small live-foods and fine grade dried foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Congo (DRC)

SEXUAL DIFFERENCES: Males and females of this species are quite different in pattern and colouration. Females are plumper with a red belly and black and white stripey tail. Males lack both of these features.

AQUARIUM CARE: This dwarf cichlid hails from a blackwater lake in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lake Mai-Ndombe. This West African cichlid is small, and brightly coloured, and therefore a good candidate for a species tank, or West African biotope with a few killifish, or African tetras, and planted with Anubias and decorated with bogwood and caves.

BREEDING: Lake Mai-Ndombe is a very acidic lake, (pH 4.2 - 5.5) and aquarium-kept specimins will only breed in equally acidic water, however they will live happily in most soft to medium water conditions. Conditioning well helps induce spawning; feed protein-rich foods such as whiteworms. They are a typical cave spawning species, and good results can be acheived by placing a group together in a larger tank, and letting pairs form.

Have you bred Nanochromis transvestitus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Nanochromis transvestitus breeding reports

Nanochromis transvestitus
Mai-Ndombe dwarf cichlid

This image shows the female, with red belly and stripey tail

A male (background) displays to a female in the foreground

Males of the species are less colourful than females - note the lack of red on the belly of this individual

Nanochromis transvestitus
Mai-Ndombe dwarf cichlid
breeding notes

BREEDING: Lake Mai-Ndombe is a very acidic lake, (pH 4.2 - 5.5) and aquarium-kept specimins will only breed in equally acidic water, however they will live happily in most soft to medium water conditions. Conditioning well helps induce spawning; feed protein-rich foods such as whiteworms. They are a typical cave spawning species, and good results can be acheived by placing a group together in a larger tank, and letting pairs form.

Have you bred Nanochromis transvestitus? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Nanochromis transvestitus, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Nanochromis transvestitus be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Nanochromis transvestitus? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
What, if any is the biggest difficulty encountered when breeding these fish? Poor egg production Poor egg survival Poor fry survival rate Deformities Skewed sex ratio	How would you describe sex ratios when breeding Nanochromis transvestitus? If you are unsure please leave this question unanswered. Almost all males Somewhat male heavy Roughly equal Somewhat female heavy Almost all females
In general, how difficult is Nanochromis transvestitus to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Nanochromis transvestitus? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences