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Tanganyikan Butterfly

Xenotilapia sp. "Papilio Sunflower"

Family: CichlidaeXenotilapia papilioPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   A uniquely beautiful but challenging cichlid, the Tanganyikan Butterfly is a great fish for the experienced cichlid keeper!

   The Tanganyikan Butterfly has both an unusual but pretty appearance and some intriguing behaviors. Their spawning dances and joint parental mouth brooding are a rewarding site for the attentive aquarist. A relatively small cichlid, they have a long flat head and downward pointing snout. They push through the sand with their snout to get at crustaceans hiding there.

   The Tanganyikan Butterfly is moderate to difficult to care for since they can be very aggressive among themselves, especially when breeding. They are also very sensitive to water quality. They do not do well occupying the same level in the tank with other fish. To prevent stress, avoid including other aggressive species that also stay in the lower level of the tank. They will tolerate those of a different genus that occupy other levels in the tank. Placing rocks in a way to block their visibility to other pairs also helps with aggression.

   The name Tanganyikan Butterfly is a common name for these Lake Tanganyika cichlids from the site type Tembwe Deux. There are also geographic variants with varying degrees of pale yellow from Zambia. These are known as the Xenotilapia sp. "Papilio Sunflower". This designation is usually followed with the name of the region in which they are found such as Chituta, Isanga, Kambwimba, Kantalamba, Namansi, Samazi, and Ulwile. The 'Sunflowers' are not yet scientifically described and are usually regarded as color morphs, but could also be a very closely related autonomous species.

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

Distribution:    The Tanganyikan Butterfly was described by Buscher in 1990. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa. They are found swimming in pairs or small groups of four to eight fish over sandy and rocky bottoms at depths down to 160 feet (50 m). These Xenotilapia prefer rocky habitats compared to their sand sifting cousins; and unlike their cousins they do not school in large numbers. They feed on the layer of sediment that cover the deeper rocks, eating small crustaceans, algae and insect larvae.

Status:    This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:    The body of the Tanganyikan Butterfly is a gray to light brown with some silvery blue spots. There are varying amounts of yellow on the front parts of the dorsal and anal fins, and on the pelvic fins. The head is long and flat with a little downward pointing snout. The snout is situated in a way that they can take advantage of sifting through sand to get at crustaceans hiding there. Their fins seem proportionately large for their body.

• Tembwe Deux: There are two distinct geographic variants from Tembwe Deux. One is a gray/beige with blue spots on the body. The pelvic fins are gold with black and blue spotting and the dorsal and anal fins are mainly a blue with black spotting and some edging in yellow. The tail fin is a blue with the end trimmed in black. In the northern part of this region, at Kanoni, this cichlid has the same body coloring but has yellow dorsal fins with no black spotting.
• Zambia: There are geographic variants from Zambia with varying degrees of pale yellow and irregular brown spotting on the dorsal fin. These are known as the Xenotilapia sp. "Papilio Sunflower". This designation is usually followed with the name of the region in which they are found. These are scientifically undescribed and are usually regarded as color morphs, but could also be a very closely related autonomous species.

  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 Tanganyikan Butterfly grows to a length of 3" (7.8 cm).

Care and feeding:    The Tanganyikan Butterfly is an omnivore. In the wild they eat crustaceans, copepods, insect larvae, and shrimp along with algae; searching for foods from the rock and sand. In the aquarium they can be be fed Cyclops, water fleas, shrimps, Artemia or other special foods for Lake Tanganyika cichlids. It is suggested that you do not feed live foods and tubifex worms due to possible diseases and pathogens that may be transferred to your 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.
   Though they are a smaller cichlid they are aggressive. A minimum 50 gallons with a length of 48" is recommended. Provide lots of rocks and a sandy substrate. Placing rocks in a way to block their visibility to other pairs also helps with aggression. Plants are ignored, but may help the fry to survive.
   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.
   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 easily startled so if you must net them, collecting when sleeping is suggested. They 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 on the bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:    Hardness: 10 - 25 dH
   Ph: 7.5 - 9.0
   Temp: 75 - 82° F (24 - 28° 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 Tanganyikan Butterfly is an aggressive cichlid. They can be kept in pairs but are generally semi-aggressive toward those of the same species, especially when breeding. Others of the same species will act as dither fish for the pair you want to breed, which can help reduce aggression between the mated pair.
   They will tolerate those of a different genus that occupy other levels in the tank, but don't do well with others occupying the same level. They need to be the main inhabitant in their "level" of the tank to avoid stress. Placing rocks in a way to block their visibility to other pairs also helps with aggression.
   Aggressive cichlids that can be kept with them are other Xenotilapia, the Utinta Cyprichromis Leptosoma, and smaller Neolamprologus. Do not house with other color varieties of Tanganyikan Butterflys to avoid cross breeding and losing pure strains.

Sexual Differences:    There are no obvious sexual distinctions, but females ready to spawn may have a rounder belly.

Breeding/Reproduction:    The Tanganyikan Butterfly has been bred in captivity. These are called biparental mouthbrooders. A strong bond between the male and female is established by buying around 4 - 8 juveniles and waiting for them to pair. Once there are a few couples, some aquarists will only leave two sets in the tank. The dominant set will chase the subordinate couple instead of each other, which in turn strengthens their bond. Do not remove the desired pair from the tank as this may break their bond.
   The pair will find a quiet area on the sand near a rock. The female attracts the male by flaring out all of her fins and circling the male. The male repeats the "dance" and the female then lays about 5 tiny eggs that are a light yellow. The male fertilizes the eggs and then the female takes them into her mouth. There are usually 15 or fewer eggs in a clutch. The female carries the eggs for 9 -13 days and then she transfers them to the male.
   After 3 weeks the fry are released. Both parents will guard them for several weeks. The fry will seek the shelter of their parent's mouths if threatened or at night. The fry can be fed newly hatched artemia. The female can start to carry another clutch soon after the fry are released from the male's mouth. See the description of monogamous cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:    The Tanganyikan Butterfly is rarely readily available online or in fish stores, but they can be special ordered.

Author: Carrie McBirney
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS

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