Longsnout parananochromis

Care at a glance

Overview

A reserved African cichlid that is kept as a pair rather than a shoal, so let a pair form from a young group and house them together. It keeps to the bottom of dim, wood-filled tanks, probing leaf litter and sand for small prey. It is fairly peaceful, but a settled pair will hold territory, so pick calm tankmates and give everyone room to avoid trouble. Feed small sinking and frozen foods it can pick from the substrate. A pair suits a shaded, soft-water tank of around 200 liters.

In the wild

Parananochromis longirostris works the deep forest streams of Gabon and neighboring drainages, where the water runs soft, acidic and shaded by canopy. Recreate that with a dark tank, a sand floor covered in leaf litter, plenty of driftwood and roots, and low light. Keep the water soft and warm, 23 to 27 C, at a slightly acidic to neutral pH from 5.5 to 7, with gentle flow. Tannins leaching from wood and leaves suit it well.

Good to know

This species belongs to the Cichlidae and reaches around 12.5 centimeters, one of the larger members of its genus. Its name longirostris means long-snouted, describing the drawn-out snout it uses to probe leaf litter and crevices for invertebrates. It was first described by Boulenger in 1903, long before the genus Parananochromis was recognized. Breeding it is a medium-difficulty project, the pair spawning in seclusion and guarding the eggs and young.

Did you know

The long snout is a feeding tool. This cichlid pushes its pointed face into leaf litter and the gaps between roots, working through the debris to reach small invertebrates hiding underneath, where blunter-faced fish cannot easily follow.

Common questions

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