Name: Astatotilapia nubila (Boulenger, 1906)

Synonym: Haplochromis nubilus

Common name: Blue Victoria Mouthbrooder (according to fishbase?)

Location: Wide distribution including Lake Victoria and surrounding rivers

Adult size: Males: 4 inches (10 cm), Females: 3.5 inches (9 cm)

Diet: insectivore

This is the fish we know as the A. nubila in the US. It doesn't quite match the description of the nubilus by Boulenger, so the American nubilus is thought to be either a different species or a varient of the "real" nubila.

The nubila is probably the most common victorian in the wild since it has a wide distribution throughout the satellite lakes and the rivers in the victorian basin. The dominant male is jet black with brilliant red on the fins.

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Personal notes: I bought three Astatotilapia nubila in 1998. There were dozens of them in a small tank at the local aquarium a jet black body and brilliant red fins. As soon as the net hit the water they all looked much the same. A dull gray with very little red at all. I placed them in a 40 gallon long tank with young Haplochromis species #44 "thickskin". In a short period of time, after some intense fighting, my three nubila were down to one.

Then a nearby hobbyest had a nubila colony that was very male heavy and I offered to give them five of them a home in my 180 gallon tank in 2008. They colored up and seem to get along fine in the bigger tank.

Above is a male Haplochromis (Astatotilapia) nubila I had in 1998.

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