Cichlidchick Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Hi Guys, Im new to this forum,so sorry if i have posted in the wrong area.Today i have come across some Christmas Fulu cichlids and was wondering if anyone here has seen or heard of them (or have any) im keen to get some because they are such a beautiful coloured fish!! I have tried to google some info on them as to which lake they come from and if they are African or American. I have a set up of African: 6 electric yellow, 5 electric blues, 4 peacocks and 1 moori (going to get another one) and was wondering if the Fulus were ok with my fish and vice versa? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beani Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Xystichromis phytophagus stunning fish i have a breeding colony going but no fry of size yet. they are a lake victorian african ( although belived to be extinct here ) very common in lake Kanyaboli. i have mine in a 4 foot with electric yellows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRISSY Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 (edited) I don't keep them but they are african. Here is a bit of info on them if you like reading lol: The genus Haplochromis has undergone a lot of changes and many species have been moved to other genera in the family Cichlidae. The Christmas Fulu was once known as Haplochromis phytophagus, but is today considered a member of the genus Xystichromis and its current scientific name is therefore Xystichromis phytophagus. These fishes are however still commonly referred to as “Haps” and “Lake Victoria Hap cichlids” by aquarists. Xystichromis phytophagus is an endangered species and captive breeding programs are therefore important. It is already considered extinct in Lake Victoria, but is still quite common in Lake Kanyaboli, a nearby lake in the Kenyan Yala Swamp. Description Xystichromis phytophagus is commonly known as the Christmas fulu due to the shimmering and festive look displayed by the males during the breeding period. The males can exceed 11 cm in length while they females stay somewhat smaller. Housing Christmas Fulu A small breeding group of Xystichromis phytophagus with only one male can be comfortably housed in a 150 liter (40 gallon) aquarium, as long as you make sure that the females have plenty of suitable hiding spots. Keep at least a few females for each male. If you want to keep a larger group, e.g. two males and up to 6-8 females, you will need a 250 liter aquarium (72 gallon) or bigger. As mentioned above, sheltered areas and hiding spots are really important when keeping Christmas Fulu cichlids. You can for instance your plants, wood and rocks. If you want to keep more than one male, each male must be able to claim his end of the aquarium and stay there without being spotted by the other male. The sight line must therefore be blocked by aquarium decoration. The Christmas Fulu is actually not a very eager plant eater and can therefore be combined with most plant species in that regard, but it is a keen digger and digging can naturally also be a problem for plants. Plant species must therefore be wisely chosen; you can for instance go for floating plants and plants that can be anchored to wood. Due to this digging behavior, the use of heavy rocks or other forms of heavy aquarium decorations is a bit risky since the digging can make it fall over the fish in injure them. Both sand and gravel is known to work well for Christmas Fulu cichlids. A substrate with sharp edges must naturally be avoided in an aquarium with digging fish, and you must also make sure that the size allows the fish to dig pits during courtship and spawning. Water Xystichromis phytophagus is unfortunately extinct in Lake Victoria, but the species can still be found in Lake Kanyaboli, a nearby lake located in the Yala Swamp in the northern parts of Kenya. Since most specimens in the hobby hail from this lake, it is a good idea to mimic these conditions in the aquarium. The pH-value in the Yala Swamp stays within the 7.5-8.2 range and the carbonate hardness is 6-7 dH. The recommended water temperature is 25-33° C (77-92° F). Xystichromis phytophagus is known to be quite adaptable in captivity and can usually adjust to new water chemistry as long as the change is slow and gradual and you avoid the extremes. There are even reports of breeding taking in place in soft water with a neutral pH-value. What you never should try to make your Christmas Fulu’s adapt to is high levels of nitrogenous waste, because this will cause severe injury in your fish. Vigorous filtration must be combined with regular water changes. With powerful filtration, a 25-30% water change per week can be enough, provided that you avoid over feeding. Low stocking density will reduce the risk of high levels of nitrogenous waste. Tank mates If you want to combine Xystichromis phytophagus with other species, there are many suitable candidates, provided of course that your aquarium is large enough and that you refrain from big predatory fish. Choosing Lake Victoria species is a good idea since they will appreciate the same water chemistry and temperature as the Christmas Fulu. Two examples of species that have been successfully housed with Xystichromis phytophagus are Brycinus sadleri and Synodontis afrofisheri. Feeding Haplochromis (Xystichromis) phytophagus As mentioned earlier, the Christmas fulu is not very fond of eating plants in the aquarium. The reason behind this is that wild Christmas fulu’s feed chiefly on decomposing sedge leaves, not on healthy leaves. The leaves will not be digested by the fish, and scientists suspect that its real source of nutrition are the many microscopic animals found on decomposing leaves. In the aquarium, it is certainly not hard to make the Christmas fulu accept flake food, and it is also known to eat pellets. The diet should be vegetable based and preferably include spirulina. Christmas fulu cichlids will appreciate occasional threats in the form of meaty foods, but it is important not to give your fishes too much of this since it is not really natural for this fish to eat a lot of large (i.e. non-microscopic) animals. Breeding Christmas Fulu The Christmas Fulu is a polygamous maternal mouthbrooder and getting a group of Christmas Fulu’s to breed in captivity is certainly not difficult. It is however important to keep male aggression under control during the breeding period. As mentioned above, a small group with only one male can be housed in a 150 liter (40 gallon) aquarium, while a larger group consisting of two males and 6-8 females need a 250 liter aquarium (66 gallon) or larger. The sightline between the males must also be blocked. Brooding females want to get away from the rest of the group and stay in sheltered areas, and the aquarium should therefore provide them with such spaces. Pre-spawning behavior In most scenarios, one of the males will establish dominance in the aquarium and show this by making his colors more striking. He will also chase the other male out of sight and keep the territory free from unripe females. It is common for the submissive male to dampen his colors to avoid aggression. A pit will be dug out by the dominant male and he will actively start to court the ripe females by carrying out lateral displays near the pit. Spawning When a female becomes ready to spawn she will follow him to the pit, where the male will press his anal fin against the bottom of the pit. The sight of his egg spots at the bottom of the pit will trigger the female to release her own eggs at the site. As soon as she has deposited her eggs she will pick them up with her mouth. When she tries to pick up the male’s egg spots, he will shoot his sperm into her mouth and fertilize the eggs inside. This behavior can continue for up to 45 minutes. Small, young females normally produce less than 30 eggs per spawning, while big, old females can produce over 70. When all eggs has been picked up and fertilized, the female is chased away from the pit and seeks out a quiet place where she can brood her eggs in peace. The male will proceed to court a new ripe female. Brooding The brooding period normally lasts 14-16 days and during this time, the female will not eat nor socialize with the rest of the group. If you want to ensure a high fry survival, it is a good idea to place her in her own aquarium. The stress of being moved can cause her to spit her offspring and the move should therefore be carried out as late as possible. Use a fine net mesh for the transfer since this will catch even tiny fry. Fry care Newly released fry can be fed a diet of newly hatched brine shrimp and crushed flake food. It is very important to keep the water quality up in the fry aquarium and small, daily water changes are recommended. Edited October 27, 2012 by BRISSY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supercobwe Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Procull have the best christmas fulu but I don't know he still have them so pm him if you want to find out. Gl Cheers, Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savage_roo Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 (edited) Bet me to it Ryan Lol Edited October 27, 2012 by savage_roo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supercobwe Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Bet me to it Ryan Lol Forgot about you as well, sorry!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savage_roo Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Forgot about you as well, sorry!!! Thats ok Ryan I don't have any for sale at the moment to small. You could also try Hellboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlidchick Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Thanks guys for your feedback. Do you know if their aggressive fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savage_roo Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Some people say they are but I had a 4'x2' with about 25-30 large mostly males and had no worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beani Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Mine are friendly as Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlidchick Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Ok sweet,im just looking at getting 2 or 3 males and have found someone at Bethania (qld) that has some for sale :) so im going to pick some up end of next week!! I will post some pics up of them in my tank aswell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish4fish3 Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 great looker and as far as african male display / community tanks go... The more the merry = the more fish the more the aggression is passed around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beani Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 My male bad photo though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellboy Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 My flamebacks and xmas fulu have no other problems with other fish and each breeding colony reside in small tanks (not to mention the 500 in a pond)without problems unless I introduce more than one male. Males will eventually kill each other if females r present. Males can be aggresive as but not intentional killers like some other fish. Personaly I think nyereria(flameback) is far more colourful than a fulu but r now starting to see some temperment differences. Food seems to be the key to these fish. GIve them something else to focus on instead of each other. Cichlidchick is you want some good quality display males I have a few around hte 8cm mark that r showing great colour, just shoot me a pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlidchick Posted November 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 Hi Hellboy, Sorry i just seen your post,im still getting use to this forum, i just got 4 Fulus yesterday..i thought they were older ones showing colour but there not, little (about 4cm) silver ones with black stripes and one is showing yellow on the sides of its belly. I was told they are males?? hope so, but the littlest one is not doing to well. if i had of seen your post earlier i would of got some off you.. well we will see how these guys go, any problems i will prob get some off you. Thanks bud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
procull Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 http://www.qldaf.com/forums/qld-live-stock-53/fs-christmas-fulu-xystichromis-phytophagus-71867/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
