Cyphotilapia differences

[SLS_23]

Hi, I would like to keep Cyphotilapia(fronotsa, gibberosa) in several aquariums. I would like to ask what are the differences between them? I have 3 free aquariums, so i would like to ask?
1. Which variant is the bluest?
2. Which variant has the longest fins?
3. Which variant has the biggest hump on the head?
Thank you all for your answers.

 

[Milingu]

1. Depends on how you define "bluest". C. gibberosa from the southern part of the west coast (DR Congo from Kitumba till Moliro) have a nice dark blue and strong black an white contrast.
The gibberosa from the southern shore and the southern part of the eastern coast (Zambia and Tanzania) can have more blue but it's less dark.
But definitely gibberosa is more blue than frontosa.

2. C. gibberosa from Congo.

3. Some of the 6-bar variety of C. frontosa from the northern part of the lake have the biggest hump, followed by 7-bar frontosa, Tanzania and Zambia gibberosa. Congo gibberosa have the smallest humps.

 

[danotaylor]

I agree w Milingu info. My 2c worth
1. Moba, Mikula, Kitumba, Moliro, Kapampa are my favorites in the Blue Zaire group of gibberosa.
2. All will grow long trailing fins, especially males, if there’s no pesky fin nippers kept in the tank with them.
3. Burundi get gigantic nuccal humps, but the blue Zaire variant hump on the males is more asthetically pleasing to me.
If you goal is breeding I would recommend not getting Kapampa as they are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity
As far as saleability goes the blue Zaire variants fetch a better price and are typically more desirable, and are more expensive to buy in the front end. Excuse the pun.
It typically takes 3+ years to raise a cypho variants from fry to breeding age. Longer for some.
What size tanks do you have for them?
This is my Mikula male. He’s 5 yrs old and his mood & lighting definitely influences his coloring

 

[SLS_23]

I agree w Milingu info. My 2c worth
1. Moba, Mikula, Kitumba, Moliro, Kapampa are my favorites in the Blue Zaire group of gibberosa.
2. All will grow long trailing fins, especially males, if there’s no pesky fin nippers kept in the tank with them.
3. Burundi get gigantic nuccal humps, but the blue Zaire variant hump on the males is more asthetically pleasing to me.
If you goal is breeding I would recommend not getting Kapampa as they are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity
As far as saleability goes the blue Zaire variants fetch a better price and are typically more desirable, and are more expensive to buy in the front end. Excuse the pun.
It typically takes 3+ years to raise a cypho variants from fry to breeding age. Longer for some.
What size tanks do you have for them?
This is my Mikula male. He’s 5 yrs old and his mood & lighting definitely influences his coloring

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Thank you for your reply. I plan on breeding cichlids next year. I plan to have a 200x60x60mm-720l aquarium. From what I looked, young F1 cyphotylapia cost about 4 to 10$.
I also wanted to ask, is it true that the Blue Zaire moba has the shortest fins?

 

[Milingu]

Thank you for your reply. I plan on breeding cichlids next year. I plan to have a 200x60x60mm-720l aquarium. From what I looked, young F1 cyphotylapia cost about 4 to 10$.

That's the absolute minimum tank size. I would try to provide at least 200x70 for a bigger footprint.

I also wanted to ask, is it true that the Blue Zaire moba has the shortest fins?

As mentioned above the DR Congo (=former Zaire) variants can develop the longest fins.

 

[tiger15]

The blueness varies not just with variants, but also with age. Juvenile Front are the bluest, but as the fish age, they turn darker and lose some blueness. The color transformation is deepest with Burundi and Mpimpbwe, less so with Zaire variants in my personal experience. My observation of Front colonies in pubic aquariums, typically of Burundi variant, the blueness contrast between young and old fish is obvious when compared side by side. Old fish are darker and less blue than their juvenile offsprings with some grand old males turn pitch black with overhanging hump. Closer inspection reveals that the black bands expand with age over the white effectively increasing the darkness. I observed the same color transformation in my previously owed Burundi and Mpimbwe too, but my current Zaire Twembwe retains the blueness and barring at 10 year old age. His hump is modest in size but retains the blue dots typical of the Zaire variant.