Tropheus Polli

Ronald Revolinski
revo@execpc.com

     If a beauty contest were held for the genus Tropheus, the polli would not have to worry about winning. Tropheus polli is probably one of the plainest fish in the tropheus genus. The body coloration consists of alternating bands of white and gray. The soft rays of the dorsal fin contain a yellowish tint with a small amount of orange along the edge. Tropheus polli have a lyre tail, which is black with yellow along the edges of the tail. The eyes of the polli are blue and the gill plates contain a bluish hue. The bands on the male’s body disappear during courtship. The black markings on the tail and fins become more intense on both sexes during courtship. The male polli are approximately 4 inches in length with the females being slightly smaller.
     Tropheus polli are found on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika near Bulu Point in Tanzainia. Axelrod named Tropheus Polli after a Belgian ichthyologist Professor Dr. Max Poll. Tropheus polli occupy the shallow rocky areas along the shoreline. In their natural habitat, tropheus feed on the aufwuchs covering the rocks. The term aufwuchs refers to the algae, diatoms and other microorganisms that cover the rocky formations.
     Raising and maintaining tropheus is not a very difficult task. A group of 6 polli were housed in a 55gallon aquarium. This tank also contained a group of 5 Sciaenochromis fryeri and a group of 7 Otopharynx lithobates " Yellow Blaze ". The water was kept at 80 degrees. Filtration was provided by an Eheim canister filter and a Hydro 4 sponge filter. The tropheus were fed flake food, which was a mixture a 50% spiriluna flake and 50% brine shrimp flake. The substrate consisted of a mixture of crushed coral and red gravel. Numerous rocks and pieces of pvc pipe provided shelter for the polli. Aggression among the tropheus was not a problem. The other species in the tank provided ample targets for the tropheus to ward off any aggression.
     This group was a little over 1 year old when the first spawns appeared. The first spawns were small and only 2 to 3 fry were produced by the females. As the females matured the size of the spawns increased with the largest producing 9 fry. I allowed the females to hold the spawns for 21 days before stripping the fry. After 21 days the fry still have a small egg sac which is usually absorbed within 3 days. The fry are raised in a 10gallon tank and feed crushed spiriluna flakes.