Haplochromis "Lipochromis" parvidens appears to be extinct in Lake Victoria but still living in Lakes Kyoga and Nawampassa. In the past, there were three species of parvidens-like fish in the hobby; shovel mouth parvidens, red parvidens, and blue parvidens. The strain we still have in the hobby has a vivid red color on the flanks and originated from Lake Nawampassa. The red parvidens is the only one still kept in the hobby. It preys upon the embryos and eggs of mouth brooding females. It reaches a length of 15 cm long. This cichlid is quite peaceful and has a shy temperament. This species needs an effort of conservation by hobbyists as has become very rare in the wild.
You will note that we have indicated the genus Lipochromis as a subgenus in quotation marks until a re-evaluation of Humphrey Greenwoods classifications is completed.
Pronunciation: Refer to our Pronunciation Key for an explanation of the phonetic symbols.
Habitat: This is the primary location where the cichlid is found and is a generalization. This does not mean a fish cannot be found in other habitats.
Diet: Many cichlids specialize in eating one type of food; notwithstanding, some of these specialized feeders are flexible and can be opportunistic feeders.
Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tankmates that are of a different species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to various factors, including aquarium size, tankmates of similar appearance, stocking levels, and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Conspecific Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tank- mates of the same species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to such factors as aquarium size, stocking levels and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Maximum Size: This is in regards to total length (including the tail) of typical aquarium specimens. Wild specimens may not attain this size, or may in fact grow larger than aquarium raised individuals due to various factors. Also consider that this is the typical maximum size and there are exceptional individuals that will exceed it.
Difficulty:
This measure is a relative value, comparing a single species against all
other cichlids.
This only accounts for maintanence in the aquarium and not breeding
considerations.
1 = easy and forgiving, 5 = extremely challenging.