Name: Haplochromis sp. "Fire"

Synonym: Paralabidochromis sp. "Fire"

Common name: Fire Red Ugandan

Location: Northern Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga

Adult size: Male: 4 inches (10 cm), Female: 3 1/2 inches (8 cm)

Diet:

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Personal Notes: A rock dwelling Victorian cichlid (mbipi) from the Ugandan shores of Lake Victoria (and/or from Lake Kyoga?) that I purchased from my LFS in 1998. The Haplochromis sp "fire" grows to only about 4 inches (11 cm) long. As this male was maturing he was not as colorful as I had hoped. But that's the trouble with many victorians .... if they are not the dominant male in the tank then they often won't color up nearly to their potential. I had one male and three females. One female bred but did not carry the fry to term. As you can see the females are the typical silver-sided fish just like so many of the victorians. I kept this group for only about two years.

It seems that the Haplochromis sp "Fire" were fairly common in the late 1990's and then were unavailable for a number of years. Now, they are once again available but the ones I've seem appear to have a slightly different coloration. The ones making the rounds in the hobby now have a yellow/green color in their caudal penduncle that mine never exhibited.

Above is the male Haplochromis sp. "Fire" aka Fire Red Ugandan:

A female Hap sp "fire" above.

Juvenile male above

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