This rapid inhabitant from the lower Congo catchment area, which grows up to 10cm is generally regarded as the worlds flattest cichlid. At first sight it it looks like the little more known T. brichardi, but T. depressum – as the species name already tells – is distinctly more flattened, which you can especially see, if it props up on the ground with its bellyfins in its typical way. The care hardly causes any problems for the keeper, as T. depressum is very easy to feed with every common food. As the animals are to theirself territorial, you should – despite their small size – own an aquarium with a minimum capacity of 160l. Plants are not getting eaten and there are no special demands to the water values. Being cavebreeders they love cramped niches and clefts, inside which they can retire and later spread their eggs, too. The tighter the cleft, the better they feel inside. Partially stones which are lieing flat on the ground, are creating holes by the animals themselves. The sexes can be distinguished rather easily and so the females soon show a broad red-orange zone on their tail fin, which the males do not have or which is reduced to a very small line. Females being mature to spawn show a yellow-orange to reddish belly. Males keep the usual brown-black primary colour. (Photo & Text T. Weidner)
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Kongo |
