Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Julidochromis regani

Julidochromis regani "Samazi"

Samazi — sah-MAH-zee (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Julidochromis regani account →

Specific to Samazi

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Julidochromis regani.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.1 in13 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.5–9.2alkaline
Depth0–33 ft0–10 m
DietInvertebrates and aufwuchs biofilm (algae, diatoms, and small invertebrates scraped from rock and sand surfaces); a generalist micro-predator.
Breedingcave/crevice substrate spawner75–100 eggs (IUCN); up to ~300 reported in aquarium conditions
Sexual dimorphismYesFemales run slightly larger; surest external cue is the genital papilla — pointed in males, blunter in females.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Samazi population

Julidochromis regani "Samazi" is the Samazi population of Julidochromis regani, a geographic colour form from the Tanzania coast of Lake Tanganyika in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Julidochromis regani, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Samazi fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Julidochromis regani is the largest of the "julies," a small clan of elongate, boldly striped cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Where most of its relatives hug the rocks, this species spends more of its time gliding over open sand, and it carries the genus's most remarkable trait: a flexible, sometimes cooperative breeding system in which a bonded pair tends eggs in a cave and the social roles of male and female can blur. Hardy, long-lived, and reliably willing to spawn, it has been a Tanganyikan-aquarium staple for decades.

Full Julidochromis regani account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Julidochromis regani "Samazi"
  2. FishBase: Julidochromis regani (Convict julie)
  3. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Julidochromis regani Poll 1942
  4. FishBase point/occurrence data for Julidochromis regani
  5. AquaticRepublic: Julidochromis regani (type locality, size)
  6. Awata, Heg, Munehara & Kohda: Social system and reproduction of helpers in a cooperatively breeding cichlid (Julidochromis ornatus)