Schwetzi cichlid

Cyclopharynx schwetzi

Also known as Fwa mouthbrooder

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Fwa, Congo
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The schwetzi cichlid is a rarely seen mouthbrooder that does best kept as a small group over open sand and stone. It is fairly peaceful for a cichlid, but choose tankmates carefully and lean toward a species group or a few calm, similar fish. It grazes algae and picks at the substrate, so feed a vegetable-leaning diet with small frozen foods. Give it clear, well-filtered water and a mix of sand and smooth rock. A tank of around 200 liters suits a group of this modestly sized fish.

In the wild

Cyclopharynx schwetzi is endemic to Lake Fwa and the spring-fed Fwa waters in the Kasai drainage of the middle Congo basin, a clear karst habitat. Give it clean, clear water over sand and rounded rock, neutral to slightly alkaline and moderately hard, at pH 7.0-8.2 and 23-27 C, with gentle, steady filtration.

Good to know

Cyclopharynx schwetzi is a cichlid reaching about 10 centimeters and is endemic to a single small water system. It is a maternal mouthbrooder: the female incubates eggs and fry in her mouth. It feeds mainly on algae and diatoms scraped from hard surfaces, and breeding is of medium difficulty.

Did you know

The little Fwa system is an evolutionary island. It holds a handful of cichlids found nowhere else on Earth, including both species of the genus Cyclopharynx, a miniature radiation packed into one clear-water pocket of the Congo basin.