Chipokae

(Melanochromis chipokae)

These fish look very similar to M. auratus, except that they are larger and the females are all yellow/black, rather than being white/black on top and yellow/black on the bottom.

I now have three of these fish. I had four, but sadly one succumbed to a swim bladder infection. I have two females named Nanna and Mari, and one male named Bluebeard.

This picture is of Nanna, the larger female. She's actually bigger than Bluebeard.

This photo show off Nanna's color better because the flash doesn't make her so glossy.

Here is Nanna in her flowerpot cave. The tank has lots of flowerpots in it for the fish to stake out as territories. Just having the caves there makes them more friendly and active. Stacking the caves up high encourages the fish to come to the top of the tank.

This picture shows Nanna with what I think are eggs in her mouth. This is her very first batch of eggs. Basically it just looks like "fish with chin", however, the big telltale sign was when she stopped eating.

This is Mari, the smaller female. She's not nearly as aggressive as Nanna, but I presume I just have to wait.

Here is another picture of Mari when she is much larger.

This is Bluebeard, my pirate fish! Bluebeard is a male M. chipokae, which you can tell from his inverted color.

Here is another picture of Bluebeard hiding from the camera.

This picture is from when Bluebeard was mid-color change. Juvenile males look like females until they mature.

Here is another picture of Bluebeard half-blue.