Care
The Hippo Point salmon cichlid is named after the region of Lake Victoria where it was first discovered, where it inhabits muddy and sandy areas feeding on snails. Like all of the endemic cichlids from this lake, wild populations were almost driven to extinction by the introduction of the highly predatory Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and aquarium populations are important to their continued survival.
The aquarium should be spacious and aquascaped with rocky outcrops which break the sightline and enable territorial fishes to avoid one another. These structures should be built with the purpose of creating many crevices for the fish to explore but constructed in such a way so as to keep the rocks stable if the fish start to dig around and underneath them. Filtration should be efficient, with moderate water flow and a good level of oxygenation. Regular partial water changes will help keep nitrate to a minimum. This seems to be one of the more assertive Victorian cichlids and should be kept in groups, ideally with 2 or more females to every male. Suitable tankmates could include some of the more easy going mbuna or peacocks from Lake Malawi, but do research individual species thoroughly to ensure compatibility.
Feeding
A good quality flake or granular food should be supplemented with a variety of frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, daphnia, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, and Mysis shrimp. Live foods are eagerly accepted. Although snails feature heavily in their diet in the wild, they don't seem to be an important part of their diet in captivity.
Breeding
This species is easily bred in the home aquarium. When ready to spawn, the colouration of the male will intensify and his aggression level will heighten. He will choose and clean a spawning site, then display to the female fish until one accepts him. He can be rather aggressive in pursuit of a female, so spawning should always be attempted in a harem situation where the male is outnumbered by females and aggression is dispersed amongst the group. When a female is receptive, the pair will circle each other in a head to tail manner a number of times, until the female deposits her eggs. These are deposited just one or two at a time and after doing so, she immediately turns around and picks them up. At the same time, the male will rotate so that he is almost on his side, at the same time shaking and extending his anal fin, releasing his milt. The female sees the egg spots on the male's anal fin and attempts to pick up those dummy eggs whilst she is picking up the real ones that she deposited, and at the same time taking in milt. This is the method of fertilisation, and this ritual may go on for some time until the female is spent of eggs. She will incubate the eggs in her mouth for up to 3 weeks before releasing free-swimming fry, which can immediately be offered baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii) and crushed flake food.
