Thick Skin Cichlid (Haplochromis sp. 44)

Haplochromis sp. 44 (Astatotilapia sp. 'thick skin')

The *Haplochromis sp. 44* (commercially known as 'Thick Skin' for the strange and robust conformation of its lips for biting) is one of the most fearless, ruthless and infamous predators of Lake Victoria. Under its deceptively stocky and short appearance (it reaches 10-12 cm / 4-5 inches), the male hides a livery of explosive beauty, with a greenish-yellow body surmounted by a blood red or bright orange belly and fins adorned with huge blinding yellow ocelli (fake eggs). Its notoriety, however, is due to its temperament: the sp. 44 is commonly described as a true "aquatic plague". Although small, it is an irreducible brawler, capable of killing or severely mutilating its peers and of subduing fish twice its size, demanding an expert breeder in the management of hyper-violent hierarchies.

Family: Cichlidae
Origin: Africa (Endemico del Lago Vittoria, coste settentrionali)
Tank use: Used in 0 tanks

Temperature

24 °C - 28 °C

7.5 - 8.5

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Zona inferiore e media. Un pattugliatore instancabile che rivendica caverne e ampie sezioni di fondo aperto.

Adult size

12 cm

Description

Devourer of Live Meat:

It has a hard mouth (Thick skin) precisely to disembowel crustaceans and tear flesh in the mud. It must be fed daily in full doses with coarsely ground shrimp pulp, pieces of blended mussel and massive protein food (Krill). A diet based solely on weak African algae will leave it weak, discolored and more frustrated and aggressive towards its companions.

Care and observations

The Biting Scourge (Fatal Fin-Nipping):

Do not be fooled by its small size (10 centimeters / 4 inches). The 'Thick Skin' has teeth and malice. If you put this red demon in the aquarium with calm and large fish from Lake Malawi (Dolphin Moorii, Peacock Aulonocara) you will witness a slow and macabre mutilation. He will systematically tear with violent bites the fins of the giant fish, mutilating them, infecting them and bullying them to death. It must stay ALONE in a specific tank or, if you are desperate, with the huge and invulnerable Mbuna Zebra Cichlids who know how to headbutt it.

Death by Hybridization (The Condemnation of Victoria):

This is the key point: the Haplochromis sp.44 is called this because scientists are struggling to classify it in a lake where species go extinct every year at alarming rates. If you put a male of this fish with ANY OTHER FEMALE coming from Lake Victoria (for example the females of the Nyererei), he will forcibly mate with them within an afternoon, generating horrid worthless mongrels and irreversibly polluting the very few and very precious pure lines left in the world. Avoid at all costs.

The Indispensable Female Army:

Like the Nyererei, males are saturated with pheromones. They are perpetually angry and horny. Buying him one or two females means finding two dismembered corpses on the surface after 3 days. You are called to the absolute obligation to get him at least 6 females (which are obviously greyish and insignificant), so that he, chasing them in continuous rotation, cannot focus his deadly testosterone on a single victim, exhausting it.

Fish profile

Temperament: Violento, mordace e incredibilmente coraggioso. Nessuna vasca è abbastanza grande per due maschi adulti di sp. 44: ingaggeranno combattimenti bocca a bocca e morsi ai fianchi letali. Se incrocia pesci timidi o placidi, diventerà il flagello dell'acquario mangiandogli letteralmente le pinne (fin-nipping aggressivo).
Diet: Onnivoro Carnivoro. Dispone di denti robusti ('pelle spessa') specializzati nello strappare larve, grossi insetti e occasionalmente raschiare detriti vegetali nel lago Vittoria. Necessita di mangimi proteici robusti: pezzetti di gambero, cozze macinate, krill, chironomus e pellet carnivori. Sconsigliato l'eccesso di scaglie vegetali africane pure.
Tank level: Zona inferiore e media. Un pattugliatore instancabile che rivendica caverne e ampie sezioni di fondo aperto.
Minimum group: 5
Adult size: 12 cm
Minimum tank: 250 L
GH: 8 dGH - 20 dGH
KH: n/a
TDS: n/a
Conductivity: n/a
Sex ratio: Harem Gigante (1 Maschio e non meno di 5-6 femmine). Il maschio è un molestatore infaticabile. Le femmine (come in tutti gli Haplochromis del Vittoria) sono color topo-sbiadito, argentate o verdognole, prive del ventre rosso sangue maschile. Acquistare una o due femmine significa condannarle a morte certa.
Feeding frequency: 1-2 volte al giorno. Estremamente vorace.
Bioload: Medio-Alto (Grande voracità, escrezioni pesanti).
Flow: Corrente Moderata. Buona ossigenazione superficiale ma senza i vortici degli estuari fluviali.
Jump risk: Covered tank required
Reproduction: Incubatori orali materni. Ibridatori formidabili e letali: MAI mescolare con Astatotilapia o Pundamilia del Vittoria (Nyererei compreso), per nessuna ragione, distruggerebbero il corredo genetico raro con accoppiamenti misti in un pomeriggio. La madre protegge le uova nella gola e va spostata in una rocciata o in un acquario nido se si vogliono salvare i piccolissimi 'Thick skin'.
Compatibility: Mantenimento Specializzato. O 'Species Tank' puro per il Vittoria, oppure mescolato a grossi e robustissimi Mbuna del Malawi (es. Labeotropheus o Labidochromis di mole) che possano resistere ai suoi morsi e alle sue testate continue. MAI con i pavoni pacifici (Aulonocara) o i Delfini (Cyrtocara) che si vedrebbero strappare gli occhi e sventrare il corpo da questo piccolo ma letale lottatore.

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.