Christmas fulu

Xystichromis phytophagus

Also known as Haplochromis phytophagus, Christmas hap

FreshwaterFish

Christmas fulu (Xystichromis phytophagus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 7.0–8.5
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Victoria basin, Lake Kanyaboli
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The Christmas fulu is one of the most popular and widely kept of the Lake Victoria cichlids: hardy, adaptable, and quick to breed. Keep it as a single fish or a male with a female or two rather than a large crowd of its own kind, and give the females cover to duck into. It swims mostly in the middle water and grazes plant matter and algae, so its diet should lean on greens, spirulina, and vegetable flake with only some meaty food added. It is peaceful for a hap but males can be pushy while courting, so choose tankmates with a little care. A tank of around 200 liters suits it.

In the wild

In the wild it grazes weedy, vegetated margins in the Lake Victoria basin. It has vanished from Lake Victoria itself and now hangs on mainly in Lake Kanyaboli, a small satellite lake in Kenya's Yala Swamp. That water is warm, hard, and alkaline, so keep the pH between 7 and 8.5 and the temperature around 23 to 27 C. It tolerates a planted tank well, so give it hardy plants, some rock, and open swimming room, and change water regularly.

Good to know

Xystichromis phytophagus is a Lake Victoria basin cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching about 10 centimeters. Its name means plant-eater, for a diet built largely on algae and soft vegetation. It is an easy, productive maternal mouthbrooder: a female typically holds a brood of twenty to thirty five fry for around eighteen to twenty days. Breeding males stack red, green, and gold, the source of the Christmas name.

Did you know

This fish is thought to be extinct in Lake Victoria itself, wiped out along with hundreds of other native cichlids after the Nile perch was introduced. It survives in a small satellite lake and in aquarium breeding programs, which makes the hobby part of its safety net.