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Diagramma cichlid

Simochromis diagramma

Also known as Diagonal-bar simochromis

FreshwaterFish

Diagramma cichlid (Simochromis diagramma)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.5–9.0
Adult size
7.7 in
19.5 cm
Minimum tank
79 gal
300 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Tanganyika

Overview

The Diagramma cichlid is a large, pushy algae grazer that ranges through the middle and lower water over rock, nibbling almost constantly. Keeping it well takes a little experience.

Did you know

The Diagramma cichlid makes its living in the surf zone, grazing algae-covered rocks right where the waves break hardest. It is a herbivore working in the roughest, most turbulent water of the lake.

Caring for the Diagramma cichlid

Give the Diagramma cichlid at least 79 gal (300 L) with plenty of heavy rockwork. Bright light encourages the algae film it is built to eat, so a sunlit tank suits it.

Use hard, alkaline water like Lake Tanganyika's, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 9.0. Feed a vegetable-based diet of spirulina flake and pellets and blanched greens. Go easy on protein, since like other aufwuchs grazers it is prone to bloat on rich, meaty food.

In most tanks it is kept as a single dominant fish rather than a group. It is aggressive and territorial, and it will rule the tank. Choose only robust, fast Tanganyikans that can take the pressure.

The Diagramma cichlid is a maternal mouthbrooder. The female holds a small clutch of large eggs in her mouth and releases well-developed fry. Given a settled dominant female, breeding is a moderate undertaking rather than a hard one.

Good to know

The Diagramma cichlid is a snub-nosed grazer in the family Cichlidae, best thought of as a heavyweight cousin of the tropheus cichlids. Like them, it feeds by rasping the algae film, or aufwuchs, off rocks.

In the wild

The Diagramma cichlid lives in the rocky shallows of Lake Tanganyika, usually in the top few meters. There, wave action keeps the algae mats growing.

Common questions

What size tank does a Diagramma cichlid need?

A Diagramma cichlid needs at least 79 gal (300 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Diagramma cichlid need?

A Diagramma cichlid is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.5–9.0.

What does a Diagramma cichlid eat?

A Diagramma cichlid eats a vegetable-based diet of spirulina flake and pellets and blanched greens. Go easy on protein, since rich, meaty food can make it bloat.

How big does a Diagramma cichlid get?

An adult Diagramma cichlid reaches about 7.7 in (19.5 cm).

How does a Diagramma cichlid breed?

Diagramma cichlids are maternal mouthbrooders. The female carries a small clutch of large eggs in her mouth, then lets out well-developed fry. Breeding is moderate once a dominant female has settled.

Related species