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Anomalochromis thomasi - An Ideal Cichlid For The Beginner

The Dwarf Jewel Cichlid, Anomalochromis thomasi, is a species I kept as a teenager, but sadly never managed to spawn. It disappeared from view for a good numberof years, but recently resurfaced during my Maidenhead Aquatics visit, and its reappearance is very welcome indeed, because this is possibly THE best small Cichlid for the beginner.

Originating from coastal rivers of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, this is an African Cichlid whose requirements are remarkably similar to those of the Neotropical Apistogramma Cichlids, and thus stands apart from the vast swathe of alkaline-loving Rift Lake Cichlids, for example. Its natural habitat consists of clearwater and blackwater streams flowing through rainforest zones, and consequently has a preference for soft, slightly acidic water, though it is tolerant of a wide range of water chemistry parameters, and (to the delight of my Stateside readers with alkaline water) will even spawn in slightly alkaline water. However, in common with some of the other African riverine Cichlids, pH variations can affect the sex ratio of the offspring, in a manner similar to that of the Krib. As the species has usually remained the province of the specialist Cichlid keeper (at least here in the UK), despite its advantages as a beginner's Cichlid (which I shall shortly come to), the details of the relationship between pH and sex ratio remain largely undocumented for this species, which means that aquarists on this Board are in the position of having to experiment to determine the conditions for a balanced sex ratio.

Having dealt briefly with that matter,I shall now introduce everyone to the reasons why this is possibly THE ideal beginner's Cichlid. First, its size is small - males reach 7.5 cm, and females 5.7 cm. Second, adults (particularly in breeding colours) are beautiful to behold. Third, it possesses none of the usual belligerence associated with many Cichlids (including, it has to be said, some of the dwarfs), and is so peaceful that one might doubt that it is a real Cichlid! Fourth, it is (as already stated) hardy, tolerant of a wide range of water chemistry parameters (in the wild, some of the blackwater streams it inhabits can drop to as low as pH 4.0!). Fifth, sibling cannibalism among the fry is effectively non-existent, removing another management difficulty from the list of potential Cichlid problems. Sixth, the species will, if cared for properly, spawn in a community aquarium, and while doing so, will exhibit remarkably low levels of aggression toward other aquarium occupants (although direct threats to the eggs or fry will doubtless provoke a protective response!).

Now, for those fortunate enough to find this little jewel, which in full adult colouration is covered in iridescent blue spangles, some details of care and maintenance. Anomalochromis thomasi is suited to a planted aquarium, and because its natural waters are covered by forest canopy to a significant extent, this is a species that benefits from the provision of shaded areas and floating plants such as Water Lettuce, Pistia stratiotes. The fish poses no risk to typical schooling Tetras, small Rasboras, Danios etc., and and will coexist in the aquarium with a wide range of so-called 'typical' community fishes. If obtained as juveniles, they are slow-growing, but they have the additional corollary benefit of being long-lived. If the aquarist can find local bred specimens that are adjusted to the local water supply, then these are obviously the best specimens to obtain, but this is not a critical requirement for success with this species. Apart from the possibility of skewed sex ratios among offspring resulting from spawns in water with unusual parameters, one does not in general have to make strenuous efforts to adjust pH and hardness to create an aquarium suitable for this species. Given its tendency to manifest shyness, however, peaceful dither fishes and floating plants are definitely beneficial. Temperature range for maintenance is 21C to 27C, with breeding stimulated by a rise to 30C.

If one is interested in breeding this little jewel, then the aquarium should provide some enclosed spaces. Caves (such as the perennial flowerpots that Cichlid enthusiasts use in quantity) will be utilised, but Anomalochromis thomasi actually prefers partially enclosed spaces, such as bogwood arches. Sometimes, large plant leaves are chosen as spawning sites, so Amazon Swords and large-leaved Cryptocorynes will be good plant choices for an aquarium housing this species. The fish also appreciates some open spaces, with Vallisneria thickets, possibly some bushy plants, and intricately shaped pieces of bogwood with holes in are definitely welcomed by this fish.

Feeding presents few problems - flakes are readily devoured and with considerable relish, but of course, if the fishes can be given live foods, this will condition them for breeding admirably, and these otherwise gentle Cichlids will manifest a ravenousness that has to be seen to be believed when fed live Daphnia or Brine Shrimp! For best results, newly acquired juveniles should be given my infamous "Lemon Tetra" conditioning routine - alternate feedings of livefoods with colour enhancing flakes. This will bring out the truly stunning colours of the adults, and some will, upon being fed with this mixture, develop an intense pearlescent magenta colour that is astonishing to behold!

The best way to obtain spawning pairs with this fish is to raise several juveniles together and let natural pair selection take place. Given the peaceful nature of this fish, such an approach is not fraught with anything like the problems faced by keepers of large Guapotes or festae! Furthermore, the small size of this species makes the keeping of a group of up to a dozen individuals a practical proposition for anyone with a 48" or longer aquarium, and anyone who can give 20 of these fishes a 6-foot aquarium all to themselves will be rewarded with a stunning display! Once pairing has taken place, it may be best to devote a modest breeding aquarium to a single pair for breeding, although the fishes may spawn in their group aquarium (indeed, if well fed, almost certainly will!), and aquarists should be prepared for a number of 'false starts' and eaten spawns as the development of parental instinct in this species (like most other aspects of development) takes time. Once the parental instincts 'kick in' fully, however, the species exhibits model parenthood, and resembles the South Americans in being monogamous in nature, with both parents sharing the care of eggs and fry equally without any obvious 'division of labour'. The chosen spawning sites have already been covered above: the undersides of bogwood arches, the insides of flowerpots and large Amazon Sword or Cryptocoryne leaves being typically chosen sites. Once the parents have passed the 'inexperienced' stage and begin caring for eggs and fry effectively, both male and female will alternate between egg-fanning and guard duties, and the eggs will hatch in 40 to 48 hours at 27C. Fry are free-swimming 3 days later, but do not absorb the tolk sac for another 16 hours, at which time they start looking for food.

Fry are small, and slow growing, which means that for the first 5 to 7 days, infusoria and microworms are the fry foods of choice. They should be moved on to Brine Shrimp nauplii carefully at 5 to 7 days old, continuing to offer smaller foods until all the fry are able to take Brine Shrimp and sifted Daphnia. Growth will be slow, and will require patience on the part of the aquarist (one possible reason why this fish has not become more widely available) - it can take a month for them to reach just 1 cm long, even under optimal care conditions: additionally, the fry are more sensitive than average to failures of the nitrogen cycle, and require fairly stringent attention to partial water changes and the removal of nitrates. This is a species whose fry will very definitely benefit from the use of Hornwort plants (Ceratophyllum demersum) as nitrate removers! Parents continue brood care for 4 weeks or so, and the fry continue their slow growth after becoming independent of the parents: it can take as long as 10 months for the fry to reach 4.5 cm in length, but at this time sexual maturity is attained.

Note that the vast majority of specimens available originate from the Sierra Leone populations of the species, and that there are colour differences between these and the Liberian populations. Some literature sources indicate that the Liberian populations may actually constitute a separate but closely related species: as in much of the Cichlid world, there is still a fair amount of work for the taxonomist to do!

This is a species whose absence I have long lamented, and welcome its return to the local aquarium scene, as it is a lovely little Cichlid, with a peaceful, gentle temperament, excellent hardiness, beautiful adult colouration, a compact size making it suitable for a more modest aquarium setup, excellent compatibility with a wide range of other aquarium fishes (within reason of course!) and the prospect of many years of well-behaved parenthood once the initial teething troubles borne of inexperience are overcome. It is a species that requires some patience on the part of the aquarist who embarks upon breeding, but then, a prospective breeder should be prepared to exercise patience with any fish! A fish I have fond memories of as an attractive and peaceful community Cichlid from my teenage years, and whose reappearance locally is a cause for much celebration, the Dwarf Jewel Fish, Anomalochromis thomasi, is a species I can recommend as a "Beginner's Cichlid" without reservation. Go find some, give them a well-planted home, and discover the joys of an African Cichlid that won't beat up its tankmates or develop the bloats if its diet isn't clinically controlled - a species that deserves FAR greater recognition, and which I hope will receive just that from the Board members ...


Enjoy!









Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for this! These are on my short-list for small cichlid for an upcoming community tank. It's been hard to find much information. This is really useful!

Out of curiosity DoctorJ, what else is on that list? I want to add a pair of peaceful cichlids, and my choices are between the keyhole, bolivian ram, dwarf cockatoo, and the dwarf jewel.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I have pretty much the same list. I was originally going to go with kribs -- I think they're beautiful, but I want to put these cichlids in a community tank and I've heard too many mixed reports. My short list includes Bolivian Rams, Keyholes, Thomasis, and Curviceps. Right now, I'm going back and forth between Thomasis and Bolivian Rams. I go back and forth between them. In fact, I'd pretty much settled on the Rams, then I read this article. Now I'm undecided again. Which way are you leaning?

I'm definitely looking towards the rams. I eventually want a South American tank anyways, and the rams plus the cories I have will go great! Besides, the rams are pretty hardy, and look nice.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

That's my thinking, too. I'm going more of a South American direction and thought the Rams fit that a bit better. But Calilasseia makes a strong case and the Thomasis I've seen are beautiful. The blue spangles are very striking. I'll probably just go with what's available when the time comes. It sounds like you can't go too wrong either way.

If you want a peaceful South American, you have a choice. Laetacara curviceps is an excellent (and colourful) one, and any member of the Genus Nannacara should also fit the bill. All of these are like thomasi - colourful, peaceful and will fit into a mixed community with few hassles, except perhaps at breeding time, and in the case of curviceps, this one is well behaved even at breeding time, and therefore HIGHLY recommended as a beginner's South American Cichlid.

Of course, you know what you REALLY want to do - set up a South American tank for curviceps, and another for the thomasi

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

"Of course, you know what you REALLY want to do - set up a South American tank for curviceps, and another for the thomasi"

You said it!!! It's hard to find Curviceps around here, though. Unfortunately, fish availability is a fact of life.

can someone provide a picture??

by the way, my first pair of dwarf cichlids was a male and female curvicep. i still have them too

Isnt that the African Butterfly Cichlid? I know it has a similar name to that if not.

You can see lots of pictures of tne Anomalochromis Thomasi this way: http://images.google.com/images?q=anomalochromis+thomasi&ie=UTF-8&hl=en.

I've got a MUCH better quality pic than those - mail me & I'll send it to you to go WOW over

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002