Tropheops sp. 'Lilac'

Sergeant Posts : 113 Location : Austex

Tropheops sp. 'Lilac'

I first saw these fish at the very first fish auction I ever attended. It was back in the fall of '03 and the TCA held the auction out by DFW airport. Due to my inexperience at auctions, I didn't win the breeding group.......but a guy from Houston who has since become a good fish-bud did. He knew I wanted these guys pretty bad so, the next time I bumped into him, he brought me a bag of fry. I've kept at least one group of Lilacs going ever since.

I would have liked to have been a little more auction-savvy and have been able to track the seller down for more info on the collection location etc... but, I don't have any details to add here. All we can do is consider these to be a tank raised strain of unknown origin. That shouldn't dissuade anyone from adding these gems to their Mbuna collection, however. Of all the Tropheops types I've kept through the years, these type is absolutely the best. Not only is the male coloration great, but the females look good AND (the big kicker!) they are the most peaceful Tropheops type you may ever keep. All other types in this genus I've tried range from the purely psycho to just super-aggressive. Lilacs are excellent candidates for mixed Mbuna and/or Lake Victorian tanks. They're tough enough to not take abuse but they rarely exhibit the hyperdominant fin-ripping scale-shredding behavior that some of the other members of this genus can.

My group of T. sp. 'Lilac's shares a tank with C. sp. 'Hara' and C.sp 'Lion'. The dominant Hara male is the king of the tank, but the other species males are all well colored-up and successfully hold territories to breed within. Males attain about 4.5-5" TL, females about 4", in captivation. Mine eat flake and pellet foods well. If you looking for something with a nice splash of color to mix in your tank, consider a group of Lilacs.

Male in 'normal' coloration. Breeding colors are just a touch more intense.
Tropheops sp. 'Lilac' Dsc0959b