Nasuta featherfin

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep one male with several females in a tank of at least 300 liters with rock, open sand and lots of swimming room. Water should be hard and alkaline at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.8 to 9.0. Males fight each other, so give a dominant male his own space and enough females. Feed a mix of algae based foods and fine frozen foods like cyclops and brine shrimp.

In the wild

The nasuta featherfin lives along rocky shorelines in Lake Tanganyika, feeding on plankton and algae just off the rocks. Males build shallow sand nests to court females. Long trailing pelvic fins tipped with yellow pads are the trademark of the featherfins.

Good to know

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta is a maternal mouthbrooder in which the male's pelvic fins end in bright yellow tabs that mimic eggs. The female snaps at these tabs while the male fertilizes the eggs she is already holding in her mouth. Males are far more colorful and finnier than the plain females.

Did you know

The glowing yellow tips on the male's long pelvic fins act as fake eggs, a lure that helps him fertilize the real eggs in the female's mouth.

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