Fish Data : Pseudotropheus Ice Blue Cichlid

Other name : Ice Blue Zebra Cichlid

The Pseudotropheus Ice Blue Maylandia greshakei, also known as William's Mbuna, is a pretty zebra-type cichlid from Lake Malawi, Africa. It has a very appealing coloration of an ice blue body contrasted with a bright orange top fin. It makes a great fish to add variety in a Mbuna cichlid Tank.

   It was first described by Meyer and Foerster in 1984 as Pseudotropheus greshakei and then several other common names evolved. This cichlid may be found as William's Mbuna, Ice Blue Zebra Cichlid, Red Top Ice Blue Zebra, Red Top Cobalt, Ice Blue Malawi, Ice Blue Cichlid, Ice Blue Red Top Zebra, Pseudotropheus sp. "Makokola", and Greshakei Zebra.

   This fish is zebra-type member of a group of cichlids called Mbunas. There are 13 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities of Mbuna cichlids. The name Mbuna comes from the Tonga people of Malawi and means "rockfish" or "rock-dwelling". This name aptly describes the environment these fish live in as opposed to being open water swimmers like the Utaka cichlids and other "haps".

In more recent taxonomical revisions the Pseudotropheus genus has been split into three sub-genera with this fish being placed in the sub-genus Pseudotropheus Maylandia. After much debate between the naming of this sub-genera Maylandia or Metriaclima, this species is currently considered valid as Maylandia greshakei. Yet in the aftermath there are still three scientific names commonly used for this fish in the hobby, including Pseudotropheus greshakei, Maylandia greshakei, and Metriaclima greshakei.

    This cichlid is also sometimes mistaken for its very close relative, the Pseudotropheus "Red Top Zebra Mbenji", which is not yet scientifically described. These two fish have very similar physical and behavioral traits, however the Pseudotropheus Ice Blue has only been found in the southeastern arm of Lake Malawi near Makokola, while the other is from the Mbenji Islands.

The Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is only moderately aggressive compared to other Mbuna. It is not a community tank specimen to be kept with fish other than cichlids, but it can be kept in a tank with similarly tempered Mbunas. Do not house with fish of the same color and shape though, as the male will look at these others as trespassers and attack them.

For the aquarists who is willing to do frequent water changes and provide appropriate tank mates, the Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is easy to care for. It will quickly adapt to prepared foods and is readily bred if not kept with overly aggressive tank mates. To house one male and two to three females, a minimum sized tank of 48" long with a lot of hiding places is needed for success. A much larger tank is needed for mixing Mbunas. Males will be solitary defending a territory while females, juveniles, and non-breeding males will be seen singly or in small groups.

    They enjoy depths of around 49 - 115 feet(15 - 35 m) and are commonly found near rocky areas of the reefs where the rocks have a layer of sediment on them. Males are territorial, protecting caves between the rocks and feeds on the biocover of the rocks known as Aufwuchs. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks. "Loose" aufwuchs can contain insect larvae, nymphs, crustaceans, snails, mites and zooplankton. Females and non-breeding males will occur singly or in groups in the open water where they feed on phytoplankton.

    The males are more colorful than the females. Males have an overall ice blue color with very faded vertical bars on the body. The dorsal fin and the top half of the tail fin are orange and there are several egg spots on their anal fin. This coloring makes them easy to identify. Females are a drab color of brown-gray, with slightly more obvious vertical bars. Sometimes the females can be a pink coloring with a hint of the blue on their sides.

• Size of fish - inches: 4.7 inches (11.99 cm) - They attain a length of about 4 3/4" (12 cm) in the wild, but can grow larger in the aquarium reaching up to 5.28" (13.4 cm).
• Lifespan:  about 10 years under good conditions
• Diet Type: Omnivore
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Most of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Daily - Offer several small feedings a day, what they can eat in about 3 minutes or less, rather than a single large feeding.

Setup Tank :

    A 55 gallon tank with a minimum of 48" (122 cm) in length is suggested, though a larger tank would be required if keeping a mixed cichlid tank. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Sand is the preferred substrate, but some aquarists have also used crushed coral or a mix of gravel and crushed coral. A substrate of crushed coral or sand used for salt water tanks can help keep the pH up. They also tend to dissolves easier than salts.  A very slow acclimation to different pH levels can sometimes be achieved. Keeping a higher pH however, means that ammonia is more lethal, so regular water changes are a must for these fish.

   This cichlid needs lots of passageways and caves formed with piles of rocks. This will lessen aggression and give everyone a place to call their own. Arranging the rocks in a manner to make "territories" will help ease aggression. Some open space is appreciated as well. They like to dig so make sure the rocks sit on the bottom of the aquarium not on the substrate.

Breeding :

   The Pseudotropheus Ice Blue has been bred in captivity. Obtain six to eight young fry and once mature, feed two times a day to condition them to breed. If they will not spawn, then that usually means there is a very aggressive fish in the tank. Removing that aggressive fish will prompt a more relaxed atmosphere and encourage spawning.

   The male will dig a pit down to the bottom of the glass. He will then chase the females around shaking and extending his fins, showing exaggerated colors to attract them. He does not single out a female and rough her up, but waits until a female becomes gravid with eggs and willingly follows him to the pit. They will swim in a tight circle and the female will then deposit her eggs at a rate of one or two at a time and then picks them up in their mouth. The male will lay at an angle exposing the egg spots on his anal fin. The female, seeing the "eggs" will think she forgot a few and will try to pick them up. The male then releases milt which is taken into the mouth of the female, fertilizing the eggs. The female continues this routine until her mouth is full of fertilized eggs. This is one of the safest ways for a fish to spawn. It keeps the eggs safe from predation, which in Lake Malawi is brutal.

   Do not interrupt or feed the tank at this time as that will disturb their spawning. Once the egg sac of the fry has been absorbed, you may feed them food for fry fish. 

Social Behaviors :

The Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is only a moderately aggressive cichlid, but is not considered to be a community fish. They can be kept with other less aggressive, similarly tempered cichlids from Malawi. But do not put them with other Mbuna of similar shape and size as they will attack them and/or interbreed, which is not suggested. Do not house with Haplochromis as this cichlid, like other Mbunas, are too aggressive towards them. Also do not house with fish that eat mammal meat, as this is dangerous for your Mbuna to eat.

They are best kept in a group of one male with two or three females. They will not tolerate other males of the same color, and especially no males that are the same species. They are not particularly hard on their females like some cichlids are, which adds to the joy of owning this pretty little fish.

• Temperament: Semi-aggressive
• Compatible with:
• Same species - conspecifics: Yes - They are best kept in groups of 1 male with 2 or 3 females. They will not tolerate any other male of their same species nor any similarly colored males of other species.
• Peaceful fish (): Threat
• Semi-Aggressive (): Safe
• Aggressive (): Threat
• Large Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
• Large Aggressive, Predatory (): Threat
• Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Threat
• Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Threat - is aggressive
• Plants: Threat

Credits : 

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/PseudotropheusIceBlue.php

http://www.fotokritik.com/2802342/ice-blue-williams-mbuna


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