In July of this year, I attended the annual American Cichlid Association (ACA) Convention, which was held in Cincinnati, Ohio. As with every ACA convention, there is ample opportunity to meet fellow cichlid keepers and to even acquire fish. Registered attendees can sell fish at the convention and, historically, have done so out of their hotel room at the convention hotel. Yes, the sight of numerous tanks set up in hotel rooms is very interesting, to say the least.
Anyway, at this year’s convention, instead of fish being sold from guest’s rooms, there was a hotel meeting room dedicated to fish selling. There were probably at least 100 – 150 tanks set up in this single room. Also, there is always a notification board posted in the convention hotel space, where fish sellers post what species they are selling and the price.
I wasn’t necessarily in the market for any new fish, but I always enjoy seeing what is available and talking to fellow hobbyist breeders who attend. Nevertheless, I scanned the board and spotted some Amatitlania nanolutea for sale at a great price. The name of the seller was Mike Liu. I went to the fish room to find his fish and, hopefully, him. I didn’t initially find him, but his phone number was on the tank. I texted him, and he met me later in the fish room.
I had never met Mike before but am so glad I did. Meeting him actually led to meeting some other great people, as well as acquiring the aforementioned A. nanolutea. Now, on to Mike.
Mike has been a cichlid keeper for nearly 40 years. During that time, he has bred everything from discus (Symphysodon) to convicts (Amatitlania) to Haplochromines and everything in between. In recent years, Mike has dedicated much of his efforts to keeping rare and endangered species, especially from Lake Victoria. He’s a long-time member of the New England Cichlid Association (NECA), where he and fellow club members regularly import cichlid species from that lake and other African bodies of water. With a fish room housing 36 tanks of various sizes, Mike breeds as many endangered cichlid species as he can. Through his and the efforts of fellow club members, he has helped ensure than many species remain available in the hobby.
Let’s get started!
Your journey into the cichlid world began with New World species. In fact, discus was the first cichlid you bred. Talk a little about that experience.
After keeping community fish and various new world cichlids, my wife wanted to keep and raise discus. This was back in 1988-89, and we bought our first group of juveniles from a local fish keeper who was breeding some Turquoise discus. Discus were still a bit of a mystery back then, especially with feeding strategies. We did some research and got advice from our local guy. He said the best way to grow them quickly was using beef heart. A local supermarket sold beef heart, so we learned how to blend it up, add some vitamins and then fed it to the young fish.
Breeding discus was one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever done in my life. Once our fish reached adulthood, a pair developed and eventually they decided to spawn. They laid eggs on the glass, on the heater, and on pieces of vertical slate leaning against the glass. All the eggs that were laid were eaten every time, even when the eggs were properly fertilized. This happened more than 20 times.
We decided to try to hatch the eggs artificially and had success in getting wrigglers. Once they became free swimming, they needed food. We decided to use egg yolk. The little fry were separated into four or five shallow, plastic sandwich containers. We microwaved the egg yolk for a few seconds, then smeared the paste on the inside of the plastic containers. What a mess. My wife was pregnant at this time, and she did the egg yolk feedings between vomiting. I would do water changes when I got home from work. We did manage to get several discus fry, but this was not a fun way of raising them, and certainly not a sure-fire method. After more spawns, the pair got it right and raised their own fry. Watching the clutch of fry feed off the parent’s flanks is a most satisfying experience.
Though you’ve kept (and still keep) New World and Old World cichlids, you remain partial to the Amatitlania genus (convicts) of Central America. Why are these species a favorite for you?
After many years keeping large Central American cichlids in tanks that are too small, breeding them, and witnessing the murderous tendencies of many of these larger fish, I stopped keeping large tank busters. But, I still keep several Amatitlania species because they are small, colorful, and have interesting breeding behavior. For me, that is the primary purpose of keeping cichlids – I like to observe their breeding and care of their fry. The Amatitlania are easy to house and do not have any particular issues when it comes to feeding or water chemistry.
I happen to be the beneficiary of some of your Amatitlania nanolutea offspring. Talk a little about your experience breeding these fish – what’s worked, what hasn’t, what are some keys to keeping them?
The first time I kept A. nanolutea, the female was much more out-going than the male. She kept the male in his place, and when they had fry, he was more or less relegated to the space behind a pile of stones. This behavior was different than any other Central American cichlid I had kept, so that really caught my interest. It was probably just the bossy personality of that particular female. No other pair I have kept since then has the female shown this level of dominance.
The best way to get a bonded pair is to raise a group of 6-8 juveniles together, and let a male and female choose each other. You will easily notice a pair hanging out together. Their colors will intensify to a deep gold-yellow with a black mask across the eyes and snout. They will drive the other fish away from a cave or stack of stones, which form a secluded spawning site. Once a pair is formed, things are pretty straight forward. These fish will do all the work, and it is just a matter of time before they spawn.
I’ve kept spawning pairs in 20 and 29-gallon tanks. A 29-gallon tank works well and provides more space to allow fry to grow to around ¾”-1” or more before they are removed to another grow out tank. I think it is true with most cichlids that the fry grow quicker under the protection of their parents.
Spawns can number 40-100+, depending on the size and age of the fish. Fry can be fed finely crushed flake, powdered fry food, brine shrimp, etc. More frequent water changes will also result in a faster growth rate. And you will need to siphon out “gunk” that accumulates on the bottom. Pairs will form in a larger community tank. If they produce fry, other fish will likely pick them off. So, if you want to spawn them and raise fry, my opinion is to catch the pair and keep them in a breeding tank of their own.
You’re also a fan of cichlids from Victoria Lake in east Africa. What makes them special to you?
About 10 years ago, I decided to keep an “endangered” cichlid species. I had many tanks and thought I could do my part by dedicating a tank to this cause. I heard a talk by Greg Steeves, and one of the species he featured was Haplochromis thereuterion. This helped change my mind that Victorians were all the same and all thugs. Now, we call this fish Yssichromis thereuterion, with “yssi” derived from the Greek “yssos” meaning “javelin” or “arrow.” Generally, Yssichromis are elongated, peaceful, open water cichlids. They are certainly different in shape and temperament to the Victorians most people know of. Y. thereuterion are not terribly colorful, but I like the charcoal black coloring of the males, sometimes getting an orange-red in the anal and caudal fin, and sky blue across the dorsal fin.
Well, once I started keeping Victorians, I wanted to try more species. Currently my fish room houses about 20 species of Victorian basin cichlids. The cichlids from Lake Victoria and satellite lakes can all be classified as endangered due to all kinds of human activity. This is most notable in Lake Victoria, due to the introduction of the Nile Perch, which scientists believe has eaten several hundred species into extinction.
Another Victoria basin cichlid I’d like to mention is Lipochromis parvidens Red. This species is very colorful, as the photo shows. Males can become spectacularly orange-red throughout the body with a yellow patch above the anal fin. This species was supposedly caught in Lake Nawampassa, a very small lake just below the south shore of Lake Kyoga near Irundu, all of which is due north of Lake Victoria. This species may be extinct as it has not been found elsewhere, and Lake Nawampassa has recently gone through a “die-off” of fish. I was lucky to get this species back in 2016 and have been keeping it since. There are only a few hobbyists keeping L. parvidens Red, so their status in the world is on a knife’s edge.
What is that one species you’ve never kept but want to and why?
I’ve been keeping cichlids since 1986, and at this point, I’ve had the opportunity to keep all the species that I care to keep. There are several large and colorful Central American cichlids that I have not kept. So, if I had to choose one species and could dedicate a large tank, it may be Chuco microphthalmos because of its beauty, size, and presumably its personality. I do like the fact that most Central American cichlids interact with their keepers.
One species that was a Holy Grail for me was Schwetzochromis neodon, a cichlid endemic to Lac Fwa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I saw a photo of this fish about 25 years ago and it has been on my mind since then. In 2018, an import of Lac Fwa cichlids was arranged and sponsored by New England Cichlid Association (NECA), my local cichlid club. Only a few S. neodon were caught and were sent to Mike Zebrowski, then living in Michigan. He managed to maintain and spawn them, and I was the recipient of a group of fry. I kept them for a short period and had two batches of fry I was raising. Unfortunately, my fish room was attacked by a parasite, and every fry and adult S. neodon died, along with a few other fish. This is one species I would like to keep again and try to maintain long term.
Successfully maintaining dozens of tanks is non-trivial. Can you provide some pointers and tips to hobbyists who want to maintain lots of tanks?
I think it’s easier to maintain multiple tanks in one location, rather than having tanks spread throughout your house or a few rooms. It’s just easier to deal with maintenance, feeding, observation and breeding fish. I accumulated many tanks in my basement and a few upstairs. Finally, I walled off a fishroom in the basement and moved all my tanks and fit in some new tanks as well. Over the years, I got rid of most HOB and canister filters, and just use air-driven box and sponge filters. I use an LP80 air pump and PVC distribution network to power these filters.
On my three 6’ long tanks, I still use good old Aquaclear HOB’s along with box filters. Later, I added a wall-mount, room heater and got rid of all tank heaters, which seem to fail eventually. During the winter, I may stick in a heater on a bottom tier tank, especially if fish are breeding. I also do not use tank lights. I have four LED shop lights that are timed on for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening. This was all done over time to save money. So, my big tip is to centralize and economize if you can.
I should add that my fishroom is a tight working fishroom. I do not have a sink or counter, or room for furniture in the fishroom. If I ever expand, I will leave some space for a couch. Then I won’t need to leave the room. Oh wait, I need some food. . .
Species conservation is a priority for you. Talk a little about how hobbyists can contribute to cichlid conservation efforts.
As I mentioned above, my interest in conservation started with dedicating one tank to an endangered species. It has grown now to the point that more than 80% of my tanks house endangered species, mostly from the Lake Victoria basin. Keeping and breeding these species is not difficult, and hobbyists can contribute to the conservation effort by just keeping one or two species long term. You don’t have to be crazy like me and convert all of your tanks. I’ve met many hobbyists who want to keep just one Victoria species because of its color and beauty. That is fine, not everyone has multiple tanks to dedicate.
Describe your local club, the New England Cichlid Association, and why you think such clubs are important to the hobby.
The New England Cichlid Association (NECA) has been in existence since around 2004. It started slowly and almost disappeared. Currently, the club is regaining momentum after the COVID shutdown. We don’t have a huge membership, but we try to do the things that other fish clubs do. Around 2012, I met Peter George, who you interviewed last month. Both of us liked cichlids, and we both were looking for something different. We became more involved in NECA and wondered about all the cichlids that we read about but were not available in the hobby. So began a phase of “How do we get that fish?”
The import of cichlids is not a main focus for most members of NECA, but more of a parallel interest of the club. We are known for finding and getting rare and unusual cichlids. The geographic focus is mainly on Africa and our personal interest in the Lake Victoria basin, Cameroon crater lakes, Fwa River, desert cichlids of East Africa, and the rare and unusual cichlids that are not readily available in the hobby. Interestingly, a lot of NECA members live all across the country. These members are interested in getting rare cichlids and participate in the imports that we arrange.
Fish clubs are an important means of meeting people who share your interests in the hobby. Lots of people go to club events to socialize, listen to speakers, trade and buy fish. For me, I like to meet with people face-to-face. So going to live events, such as meetings, auctions, and swaps are fun and worthwhile.
You covered quite a bit ground above. Anything you would like to add that we didn’t discuss?
I’d like to encourage cichlid keepers to attend those events near you and promote the hobby. They can be auctions, swaps, or conventions. It’s usually a really good time and a chance to see fish friends that you may only see once a year. The ways things are these days with everything digital and available from home, I want to encourage people to go out and meet face to face. I usually attend the Ohio Cichlid Association Extravaganza and the American Cichlid Association Convention every year. It’s always great to hear speakers, hang out with your fish nerd friends, go out for a good meal, and get some fish!