POLIT (Pseudotropheus .sp Polit)

Pseudotropheus sp. Polit is a small tough and fierce Mbuna from Lake Malawi. They can grow to be 8 to 10 centimetres long. Males have a great colour pattern while the females are rust-brown. When the males feel threatened they can immediately change color to a dull grey/blue. Keeping multiple males in one aquarium often results in the death of one of them.

Males in full colour are light blue. Over their head runs a black mask. The black runs from their head downwards over their throat to their pelvic fins. Their anal fins show some black too as do the fin rays of the caudal fin. You can distinguish them from other similar Mbuna species by the lack of black in their dorsal fin.

Juvenile Pseudotropheus sp. Polit are brown like the females. Females are slightly smaller than males.

Despite being a small Lake Malawi cichlid, Pseudotropheus sp. Polit can be described as aggressive. Especially males show a high degree of intraspecific aggression. They fight each other and lock lips if they can. Males are always willing to mate and chase the females around relentlessly. Other species are often ignored. It is best to keep them in a harem, keep one male with at least 3 females.

Biotope

Kaart Malawimeer Lions Cove

Pseudotropheus sp. Polit can only be found near Lions Cove, halfway Lake Malawi on the western side of the lake.

Lions Cove is also the place where you can find the bright yellow strain of Labidochromis caeruleus.

Diet

As most Mbuna Pseudotropheus sp. Polit is herbivorous. It feeds mainly on algae. In the wild, it sifts through the aufwuchs growing on the rocks. In the aquarium, it will take all food you offer. It is advised to keep this species with other Mbuna so you can give them the diet they need. You can feed them with spirulina, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, squash, herbivorous flakes and granulate. You can give them light meaty foods from time to time like brine shrimp, Mysis or daphnia but make sure you dont feed them to much as they will grow too fat on these foods.

The Aquarium

Decorate the aquarium for Mbuna cichlids. As a substrate use sand so the fish can sift it through their gills. To prevent the sand from clogging you can use filter sand.

Use plenty of rock for algae to grow on. Make sure to create lots of caves and crevices where the females can hide from the male if he chases them for too long to mate. Holding females will use the rocks to stay away from the chasing male.

The aquarium should be at least 100 centimetres long but bigger is better. It gives you more room to create hidings and apply some bigger rocks to break the visual lines to give the fish some space.