Smooth buffalo head

Steatocranus glaber

Also known as Glaber lionhead cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 6.5–7.8
Adult size: 2.6 in (6.5 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: Lower Congo rapids
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

The smooth buffalo head is a compact, bottom-hugging Congo cichlid kept as a single bonded pair. It has a reduced swim bladder and hops along the floor in short bursts rather than swimming freely. Give it caves for spawning and choose calm tankmates that tolerate flow; it is fairly peaceful but defends its cave. It needs current, oxygen, and clean water. Feed sinking foods, frozen invertebrates, and some vegetable matter. A tank of around 110 liters with rockwork and good flow suits a pair.

In the wild

Steatocranus glaber lives along the rocky, fast-flowing margins of the lower Congo rapids. The water is warm, well-oxygenated, and close to neutral. Recreate it with piles of smooth rock, steady current from strong filtration, and warm water at pH 6.5-7.8 and 23-27 C.

Good to know

Steatocranus glaber is a small cichlid of around 6 centimeters. Its name, glaber, means smooth, for the modest head in a genus otherwise known for bulging fatty foreheads. It is a rheophilic diatom grazer and a pair-bonding cave spawner, and breeding is of medium difficulty.

Did you know

Its relatives are the buffalo heads and lionheads, named for the fatty humps that swell on their foreheads. Glaber is named for going without: it is the smooth-headed one that skipped the family's most famous feature.