Ufermann's benitochromis

Benitochromis ufermanni

Also known as Ufermanni mouthbrooder

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Southwest Cameroon streams
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

Ufermann's benitochromis is a peaceful West African cichlid kept as a single bonded pair, with tankmates chosen with some care since a breeding pair holds a territory. It spends its time low in a shaded, soft-water tank, and it mixes well with small, calm West African fish. Provide leaf litter, wood and some caves or broad surfaces, along with dim light. Feed small frozen and live foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus fine sinking dried foods. A tank of around 160 liters suits a pair with a few gentle companions.

In the wild

This species lives in small forest rivers and creeks of southwest Cameroon, around the Korup forest, in soft, warm, tea-stained water under heavy shade. Recreate that with a soft floor, driftwood, leaf litter and gentle filtration, kept dimly lit. Hold the water soft and warm, around 23 to 27 C and pH 5.5 to 7.0, with clean, low-waste conditions.

Good to know

Benitochromis ufermanni is a cichlid reaching about 10 centimeters. Anton Lamboj described it in 2001. It is a pair-bonding mouthbrooder in which both parents can carry the brood: eggs are laid and fertilised, then taken up and brooded in the mouth, an unusual shared-parenting form of mouthbrooding.

Did you know

It is named for Alfred Ufermann, the German aquarist who first drew its describer, Anton Lamboj, into the study of West and Central African cichlids, so a hobbyist's enthusiasm is written into the fish's name.