Blue-lipped buffalo head

Paragobiocichla irvinei

Also known as Steatocranus irvinei, Volta buffalo head

FreshwaterFish

Blue-lipped buffalo head (Paragobiocichla irvinei) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 6.5–7.8
Adult size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Minimum tank: 40 gal (150 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Volta River rapids, Ghana
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The blue-lipped buffalo head is a stocky rapids cichlid that lives on the bottom, hopping and clinging across stone rather than swimming in open water. It is fairly peaceful, but pairs become territorial around their cave at breeding time, so give each pair its own rockwork and choose tankmates carefully, keeping to robust, non-timid species that share its hard-water needs. It can be kept as a compatible group in a long tank or as a single pair. Feed sinking foods: pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, and mysis, offered near the floor. A tank of around 150 liters or more, longer than it is tall, suits it.

In the wild

Paragobiocichla irvinei comes from the Volta River system in Ghana, living among rock in fast, broken, oxygen-rich water. Give it a floor of rounded stones and cobble stacked into caves, with strong flow from the filter or a powerhead and plenty of surface movement. The water is neutral to slightly alkaline and warm, so aim for 24 to 28 C and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8.

Good to know

Paragobiocichla irvinei belongs to the cichlid family and grows to about 11 centimeters. It was long placed in Steatocranus, the Congo buffalo heads, but it was moved to its own genus once studies showed the West African fish only resembled those Congo cichlids rather than being closely related. It is a cave-spawning substrate brooder of medium difficulty; a pair guards the eggs and tends the fry for about their first month.

Did you know

Like the Congo buffalo heads it was once grouped with, this fish has a reduced swim bladder and gets around the rapids in short hops along the bottom. The bright blue lips that give it its name are used in display between rivals and between pairs.