De Windt's cichlid

Aulonocranus dewindti

Also known as De Windt's featherfin

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.8–9.0
Adult size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Tanganyika
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

De Windt's cichlid is a sand-dwelling featherfin best kept as one male with several females over an open sandy floor. The male clears and shapes a shallow crater in the sand and displays there, trailing his long pelvic fins and courting each female that passes. It is peaceful and mixes with other calm Tanganyikans, but it is a sensitive fish that needs pristine water and settled tankmates, which makes it a challenge to keep well. Feed small foods it can pick from the water and sand. Give a group open sand in a tank of around 300 liters with hard, alkaline water.

In the wild

Aulonocranus dewindti displays over open sand and pebble flats in the shallows of Lake Tanganyika, feeding on plankton and small items above the floor. It needs the same very hard, alkaline water as its lakemates, with a pH between 7.8 and 9 and a temperature around 24 to 27 C. The key feature of the tank is a wide, open expanse of fine sand where a male can build his crater, with rockwork kept to the edges rather than filling the display.

Good to know

Aulonocranus dewindti is a featherfin cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching around 12 to 14 centimeters. It is a maternal mouthbrooder in which males build sand craters to spawn over and carry long, trailing pelvic fins. The genus name comes from Greek words for a channel and a helmet, a reference to the enlarged sensory canals running through the head. It is considered difficult to breed in aquariums.

Did you know

The genus name points to this fish's most unusual feature: the sensory canals of its lateral-line system are so enlarged across the head that they help shape the skull, a built-in detector for the faint movements of prey and rivals.

Tank mates

De Windt's cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.