Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Telmatochromis bifrenatus

Telmatochromis bifrenatus "Karilani Island"

Karilani Island — kah-ree-LAH-nee EYE-land (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 Telmatochromis bifrenatus account →

Specific to Karilani Island

  • 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 Telmatochromis bifrenatus.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2006
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3.9 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–79 °F24–26 °C
pH8.5–9.5alkaline
Depth16–66 ft5–20 m
DietOmnivore; grazes biofilm, aufwuchs, and small invertebrates from rocky substrate
BreedingCave/crevice substrate spawner (lamprologine)Up to ~80 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales slightly larger and more slender; sexes difficult to distinguish outside breeding condition
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Karilani Island population

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

Colour reference: living Karilani Island fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Telmatochromis bifrenatus is a small, eel-shaped lamprologine cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, instantly recognizable by an elongated body, a blunt rounded head, and a pair of dark stripes running its length. It lives a quiet, semi-secretive life among rocks in the shallow littoral, wedging into crevices and abandoned snail shells where it spawns as a cave brooder. Plain by Tanganyikan standards, it is prized by keepers for its modest size, mild temper, and the curious 'shock-wave' courtship dance the males perform. Few aquarium cichlids combine this much character with this little aggression.

Full Telmatochromis bifrenatus account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Telmatochromis bifrenatus "Karilani Island"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Telmatochromis bifrenatus (species record)
  3. FishBase — Telmatochromis bifrenatus summary
  4. FishBase — Telmatochromis bifrenatus reproduction summary
  5. USGS NAS — Lake Tanganyika dwarf cichlid (Telmatochromis bifrenatus) fact sheet
  6. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Telmatochromis bifrenatus Ecological Risk Screening Summary