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Masked Julie

Black-and-White Julie Family: Cichlidae

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Julidochromis transcriptus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   The smallest of the Julies, the Masked Julie is easy to house in tight quarters!

   Some varieties of the Masked Julie can have a very similar color patterning to their close relative the Marlier's Julie. They are similar in their care requirements too, but they can be distinguished in a couple of ways. A specimen with a checkered patterning will have only two rows of white spots, while the Marlier's Julie has three or more. The Marlier's Julie male also has a lump-like swelling on the neck, but this is absent from males of this species. But the most striking difference is in their size, this fish grows to a length of just under 3", which is barely half the size of its cousin. A 20 gallon tank is perfect for keeping a pair of these small Julies.

   The Masked Julie is somewhat shy and will stay in the rocks more towards the back of the aquarium, darting out to retrieve food. They do well in a community cichlid tank and can be kept singly, in a pair, or in a group of several pairs. They can also be kept with other Tanganyikan cichlids that are similar size.

   They are moderate to easy to care for as long as weekly water changes are done to keep the water at optimal levels. Provide them with a sandy or fine gravel substrate along with lots of rock formations. They stay very close to rock structures, so the more rocks there are, the more comfortable they will be. Plants can also be included as they will not bother them. This fish will breed in captivity and the plants will provide cover for the newly hatch fry.

   There are several slightly different color pattern variations of the Masked Julie, and all are very attractive. These patterns vary depending upon the location in Lake Tanganyika where each specimen is collected. It is important to keep conspecific varieties and similar species separate to help prevent hybrid strains from entering the trade, thus losing the true color forms.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:
   The Masked Julie was described by Matthes in 1959. They are found in the north western part of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They eat zooplankton and benthic inverts found in the algae growth in the wild. They are found from 3 feet to 300 feet (1 - 10 m)

Status:
   This species is listed on the IUCN Red List with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.

Description:
   The Masked Julie has a cylindrical shaped body and a slightly larger upper lip that is used for searching for organisms in the sand and algae on the rocks. Depending on location, there are differences in color or bars. The most common variety has a silver/white base color. There are irregular horizontal and vertical brown bars, or almost blotches, and they extend into the dorsal fin. The belly has no bars and is silver/white. The face has one horizontal bar that runs through the eye, a “U” shaped bar on the forehead, and a bar that splits the “U” in half. They have clearish fins with all fins having light blue margins.
   The most sought after variant is from Gombi. Its body has a light gold cast and seven unbroken vertical brown bars, running from the top of the dorsal fin all the way down into the belly. The bars on the face are thicker as well but there are no bars below the eye, only one that goes through the eye.The fins appear darker due to the contrast of the brown and light gold coloring. There is a brown dot at the base of the tail fin.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:
   The female Masked Julie grows to a length of almost 3” (7 cm), with the male being a little smaller.

Care and feeding:
   The Masked Julie is an omnivore. In the wild they feed on zooplankton and benthic inverts found in the algae growth. In the aquarium they can be fed flake, frozen foods, brine shrimp, Cyclopeeze, small pellets, or other special food for Lake Tanganyika cichlids. Mysis may be fed sparingly but it is very high in fat, which is not good for this fish. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.
   A minimum 20 gallon tank for a pair is suggested, and 60 gallons or more for a community type tank. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. For freshwater an optional practice is to add 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per 11 gallons of water. This is considered to be a simple and natural remedy for wounds, minor fungal infections and film over the eyes of fish in transit. Using a marine salt (used for salt water fish) will add some trace elements. Sand or very small sized gravel must be used to prevent fry from getting stuck in gravel that is too big. Provide lots of porous rocks and/or whole or pieces of clay pots forming caves and crevices.They stay very close to rock structures, so the more rocks there are, the more comfortable they will be. Plants can also be included as they will not bother them, and will provide cover for the newly hatch fry.
   Do normal water changes of 10% to 15% a week, or more frequent changes depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyika cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. If a large water change is needed, changing 15% every couple of days should bring water back to normal. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.
   These fish are susceptible to typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor quality and oxygenation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Water changes, not overfeeding or overcrowding, and observation along with feeding your fish the proper foods (thawing frozen food and adding vitamins) will keep them in optimum health.
   One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers suggestions. You can also combine increasing the temperature with an Ich medication treatment. A copper test also can be used to keep the proper levels.      

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Hardness: 8 - 14 dH
   Ph: 8.5 - 9.2 (though will tolerate a slow change to just above neutral)
   Temp: 73 - 80° F (23 - 27° C)

Lake Tanganyika is the second to largest lake in the world, thus contributing to a low fluctuation in Ph and temperature. Several things all Lake Tanganyika cichlids need are:

1. Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits.
2. Lots of oxygen to survive. Lake Tanganyika is a very oxygen rich lake. Bubblers need to be going day and night, even if there are plants.
3. Avoid overfeeding and overstocking.
4. Do a 10-15% water change weekly.
5. Regularly check nitrates (no more than 25 ppm), Ph (less than 7 is not tolerated), total hardness and carbonate hardness.

Social Behaviors:
   The Masked Julie does well in a community cichlid tank and can be kept singly, in a pair, or in a group of several pairs. This fish is a community cichlid that can be kept with other Tanganyika cichlids that are similar in size. They are peaceful toward those of the same species, but will not tolerate their own offspring. They will tolerate those of a different genus.
  They will breed in the main tank and if there are enough crevices. You may want to remove a confirmed pair to a 20 gallon tank to breed, as they will aggressively protect their brood from any intruders. Once the fry are 1” long, the parents will chase them away. Do not house with other Julies to avoid cross breeding. If breeding them do not house with plecostomus as these fish will eat the fry at night.

Sexual Differences:
   The Masked Julie are hard to sex as juveniles but once they pair off, a male and female pair becomes clear. Males are said to be smaller than the females.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Masked Julie has been bred in captivity. They are shelter spawners so provide them with caves made from rocks and/or clay planting pots and/or pieces of slate, as they adhere their eggs to the “roof” of their cave. Young couples need practice to become successful parents. Buy 6 to 10 juveniles and put all of them in the tank you plan to use for breeding. Do it this way because if you move a newly established pair to a breeding tank, you may meet with failure. Once you have a pair the male will start to mark off territories. Remove the extras after a pair splits off. It is best not to rearrange the rocks or move any decorations around in the aquarium once they form territories. This can stress them out and will very likely break the bond a male and female have made. The reason for this is that part of their bond is connected to the “territory” more than to each other.
   The male will entice the female into a cave and their spawn will consists of a few eggs being laid each day for several days. Thus the whole spawn will have fry of different sizes when they are all hatched. Make sure there are a lot of crevices for the young to hide in and do not use plecostomus in the tank, as they will eat the young during the night. The parents are dedicated to their young, and will take turns guarding the fry while the other leaves to eat. Although the parents do well guarding their fry, they have a limited survival rate. For a higher success rate, siphon out most of the fry when they are born and put them in a separate 10 gallon tank, leaving a few in the tank for the parents to care for. Feed the fry baby brine shrimp.
   The parents will allow the fry to stay in the area until they are 1” long, even when new batches are hatched since they will help guard their siblings. The fry are slow growers. It takes almost 2 months for them reach 2 cm in size. See the description of monogamous cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Masked Julie is available both online and sometimes in fish stores, ranging between $5.00 and $16.00 USD, depending on size and variety. Purchase from a reputable dealer, due to hybridization it takes a trained eye to choose the correct color strain that has not been crossed.

Author: Carrie McBirney

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