Alluaud's haplo
Astatoreochromis alluaudi
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–82°F
- 23–28°C
- pH
- 7.0–8.0
- Adult size
- 7.5 in
- 19 cm
- Minimum tank
- 55 gal
- 210 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Mouthbrooder
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Lake Victoria
Overview
Alluaud's haplo is a large, robust cichlid for a roomy hard-water tank. It is an easy fish to keep.
Did you know
Alluaud's haplo is a textbook example of diet reshaping an animal's body. Individuals raised on hard-shelled food grow noticeably stronger crushing teeth and jaw muscles. Those fed soft food develop weaker ones, even though they share the same genes.
Caring for the Alluaud's haplo
Give an Alluaud's haplo a tank of at least 55 gal (210 L), with room to move and open swimming space. Add a few rock structures to break up territory, plus some hardy plants.
Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. In the wild it eats snails and other shelled invertebrates. Feed a quality cichlid pellet plus shelled shrimp and krill to keep its jaws working.
It sits in the middle and lower water. It is mostly peaceful for its size, though it can get pushy. The female is a mouthbrooder that incubates her eggs and fry in her mouth.
Good to know
Alluaud's haplo is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae, best known for its heavy, molar-like throat teeth. Those teeth let it crush snails and other shelled prey.
In the wild
Alluaud's haplo lives in the shallow, weedy margins of Lake Victoria and connected waters in East Africa. It favors slow water with submerged plants for cover and feeding.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The Alluaud's haplo is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Bolivian ram
Mikrogeophagus altispinosus
Freshwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 45 gal (170 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Blue acara
Andinoacara pulcher
Freshwater5.9 in (15 cm) · 42 gal (160 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Yoyo loach
Botia almorhae
Freshwater6.3 in (16 cm) · 42 gal (160 L)66–81°F (19–27°C)
Celebes halfbeak
Nomorhamphus liemi
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
Red lizard whiptail
Rineloricaria lanceolata
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)
Blue spotted hill trout
Barilius bakeri
Freshwater5.1 in (13 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)
Common questions
What size tank does an Alluaud's haplo need?
An Alluaud's haplo needs at least 55 gal (210 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does an Alluaud's haplo need?
An Alluaud's haplo is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.
What does an Alluaud's haplo eat?
An Alluaud's haplo eats snails and other shelled invertebrates in the wild. In the tank, feed it a quality cichlid pellet plus shelled shrimp and krill to keep its jaws working.
How big does an Alluaud's haplo get?
An adult Alluaud's haplo reaches about 7.5 in (19 cm).
How does an Alluaud's haplo breed?
Alluaud's haplo is a maternal mouthbrooder. The female incubates her eggs and fry in her mouth.
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