Roloff's krib

Pelvicachromis roloffi

Also known as Kolente krib

FreshwaterFish

Roloff's krib (Pelvicachromis roloffi) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 29 gal (110 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Kolenté basin, Guinea and Sierra Leone
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Roloff's krib is a bottom-dwelling dwarf cichlid best kept as a single bonded pair rather than a group, since two fish claim a cave and defend it together. It is fairly peaceful, but choose tankmates with care: pair it only with small, calm species that will not crowd the floor or harass a spawning pair. Give it a soft, tannin-stained setup with leaf litter, roots, and a few caves to spawn in. Feed a varied omnivore diet of small sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and some plant matter. A tank of around 110 liters suits a pair with room for a few gentle tankmates.

In the wild

This krib comes from the Kolente basin, known downstream as the Great Scarcies, on the Guinea and Sierra Leone border, where it lives in shaded, gently flowing forest streams and pools. The water there is very soft, slightly acidic, warm, and stained by leaf litter. Recreate that with soft water at pH 5.5-7.0 and 23-27 C, a dark sandy floor, tangles of root and wood, and dried leaves for cover.

Good to know

Pelvicachromis roloffi belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 8 centimeters. Like other kribs it is sexually dimorphic: females are the flashier sex, flushing a plum to purple belly in breeding dress, while males grow a little larger and longer-finned. It is a cave-spawning, biparental cichlid of medium breeding difficulty, with both parents guarding eggs and shepherding the fry.

Did you know

The species honors Erhard Roloff, a German collector of West African fishes. He is better known to killifish keepers, who once had a whole genus, Roloffia, named after him, so his surname turns up in two very different corners of the hobby.