Tropheus sp. Black Pemba Orange
Ron Revolinski
revo@execpc.com

When I purchased these fish they were being sold as Tropheus Moori Bemba Orange. As I viewed several Tropheus related website I noted several references to Tropheus sp. Black Bemba Orange. While visiting the Tropheus Basics website I found a picture of my Tropheus Moori listed as Tropheus Sp. Black Bemba Orange.I sent an inquiry to Tropheus Basics asking for an explanation on the name change of this fish. I received the following response from Pam Chin.

" According to Ad Konings, it is now Tropheus Sp. Black "Bemba"

He gives his reasons in the orange book, Tanganyika Cichlids in their

Natural Habitat. Basically this fish is similar to the moorii, but this

Particular group shows geographical variations and is found only in the North part of Lake Tanganyika. I see it both ways in ACA, but since

I don't see anyone else stepping up to the plate and publishing why we shouldn't, I would go with Ad Konings".

I would like to thank Pam Chin for her response, not only was it complete, but I received it in a very timely manner. After reading the section on Tropheus in Ad Konings Tanganyika Cichlids in their Natural Habitat 1998 Edition 1 have to agree with his statement that the taxonomy of this genus is confusing. To add to the confusion the name Bemba has been change to Pemba . Ad does not give any reason in his book for the name change. So now the fish formerly known as Tropheus Moori Bemba Orange is now Tropheus sp. Black Pempa Orange. Ad Konings book is worth taking the time to read. Not only does it contain many fine pictures it also offers many insights to the relationship of cichlids to their habitat.
Tropheus sp. Black Bemba Orange is one of the smaller tropheus species I have worked with. The males that I have average 3 inches total length, while the females average 4 inches total length. This is the first species of tropheus that I have possessed were the female is larger than the male. The coloration of the fish makes identification of the sexes possible. The males have a deep black body with a half to three quarters of an inch stripe of orange coloration in the center of the body. While the female has the same coloration as the male, the head of the female is a noticeably lighter shade of black than that of the males and contains a grayish blue and orange pigmentation. The coloration of the male and female becomes quite intense during breeding. The female takes on the same coloration as the male when breeding and several of my females maintained the male’s colors while holding eggs.

The original group I had consisted of 2 males and 4 females. These fish were purchased as 1inch fry. These fry were raised in a 20gallon tank until they reached two inches. At that time they were moved to a 55gallon tank where they still reside today. The fish were approximately 1 year old when the first spawn occurred. This spawn consisted of 5 fry. These fry were raised in a 10gallon tank. The fry were feed crushed flake foods. After the fry were 1 ½ inch long they were added to the tank containing the original adults. The larger adults did not bother the young fry other than the males occasionally chasing the fry when they strayed to close to the male’s territory. Since the initial spawns my females have spawned several more times. The spawns usually produce between 7 and 13 fry. At the present time I have 3 females holding eggs. I have had very little success with egg tumblers so I prefer to let the females hold the eggs for 17 to 21 days At this age the egg sacs on the fry is either small or nonexistent.

Maintaining the tropheus is no great challenge. Milwaukee tap water appears to be perfect for African cichlids so I do not have to condition the water in any way. The tropheus are being kept in a 55gallon tank. Two Hydro V sponge filters in a provide filtration for the tank. The tanks substrates consist of red flint rock gravel and crushed coral. Numerous rock formations provide cover and shelter for the tropheus. The water temperature varies between 76 and 82 degrees. The fish are fed spiriluna flakes and a mixture of spiriluna flakes and brine shrimp flakes. The fry are fed the same foods as the adults. The food for the fry is crushed into a fine powder. Water changes occur every two weeks, hopefully. I have found that large water changes of 50% over several weeks will trigger the tropheus into spawning.

Aggression in my group of tropheus has not been a problem so far. Other than the occasional chasing of the females by the male, everything is quite peaceful for now. While Tropheus species have the reputation of being extremely aggressive I do not believe this reputation is deserved. I have maintained numerous other cichlids that show the same level of aggression as Tropheus. I have lost female of many cichlid species due to the males being overly aggressive.