Photo © Sean Evans
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| Common name: | |
| Scientific name: | Julidochromis marksmithi |
| Synonyms: | Julidochromis sp. "Regani Kipili" |
| Size: | Up to 12cm (5"), but usually 6-9cm. |
| Origin: | Tanzanian coast of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa |
| Tank setup: | A rocky setup with many caves and crevices. |
| Compatibility: | Not for the community tank, keep with similar Tanganyikan cichlids such as Neolamprologus. |
| Temperature: | 24-27oC (75-81oF) |
| Water chemistry: | Hard and alkaline: pH 7.8-9.0, GH 12-20, KH 14-20 ideally, but at least 6. |
| Feeding: | Omnivorous, most foods accepted - feed flake, granular foods and frozen or live foods. |
| Sexing: | Possible only via the genital papilla in adult fish, which is short and pointed in females,
but longer and backward-pointing in males. Adult females generally larger. |
| Breeding: | A typical cave spawner. The parents will guard the eggs and fry. |
| Comments: |
This species was originally known as the "Kipili" variant of Julidochromis regani, or simply Julidochromis sp. "Kipili".
However, it was described as a separate new species in 2014 [1]. It can be distinguished from Julidochromis regani by having only two full and one partial
longitudinal stripes on the body as opposed to four full stripes in J. regani. The presence of a dark chin stripe helps to distinguish it from J. dickfeldi and J. ornatus.
[1] Burgess, W. E. (2014) Julidochromis marksmithi, a new species of Julidochromis from the Tanzanian coast of Lake Tanganyika. Tanganika Magazyn, 15: 40-49.
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