圆尾脊鲿 · African Bullhead

Overview

A small catfish endemic to Tanganyika, Lophiobagrus cyclurus shelters in rockwork during daylight and searches for food at night. It can join suitable lake-fish communities, but very small companions are potential prey.

Distribution & habitat

It is restricted to Lake Tanganyika. Rocky retreats provide daytime cover, with feeding activity occurring after dark.

Aquarium setup

A Tanganyikan rock layout should include securely arranged caves and open swimming areas. Subdued illumination may encourage fish to emerge more often during viewing hours.

Treat minimum accommodation as a lower limit and provide a larger aquarium where practical. Extra space is useful in itself; an unconfirmed account of harmful stress secretions also underlies the preference for generous water volume, without establishing that the fish is poisonous.

Diet & feeding

Its omnivorous diet is easy to accommodate. Frozen items, live foods, and dry preparations are accepted, allowing variety in the feeding routine.

Behaviour & compatibility

Appropriately sized Tanganyikan cichlids and catfishes generally make suitable companions, and small groups of its own species can coexist. Exclude fishes small enough to swallow. Modest adult size does not remove predation risk.

Breeding

Aquarium spawning has occurred, though rarely. Accounts suggest eggs are deposited in a rock cave and hatch approximately four or five days later; those details should be treated as reported rather than a firmly established protocol.

Prolonged parental attendance has not been documented. Separating either adults or young into another aquarium may therefore be useful if spawning occurs.

Notes

Reports that stressed fish release mucus capable of killing companions remain unconfirmed. They should not be presented as a demonstrated toxic mechanism.