This species is often available under the trade name Xenotilapia Boulengeri. Members of the genus prefer life close to the bottom, especially over sandy or muddy areas. They are active diggers, particularly at breeding time, and may be harassed by some of the more aggressive African Rift Lake cichlid species.
This is a large multicolored cichlid in which mature males develop a pronounced head (nuchal) hump; females possess a more modestly sized version. Spawning this species is not particularly difficult; obtaining a compatible pair is difficult. The usual advice given is to obtain about six juveniles and grow them on, allowing a natural pair to select themselves. Suitable alternative accommodations must, however, be found for the remaining unpaired fish as they are unlikely to be tolerated within the chosen pair’s territory.
The Black-belt Cichlid is an old favorite. It is easily distinguished by its prominent vertical central-body band, from which the common name derives. This band runs from the center of the dorsal fin right down to the belly, although its breadth and sharpness vary from specimen to specimen and according to the individual’s mood.
The last of the common names derives from the shape of this species’ body patch, which is dark and roughly triangular, with the triangle’s apex pointing toward the tail. The sharpness of the shape, as well as its “triangularity,” varies among individuals. In its native waters, the Uaru is generally regarded as a food fish. Juveniles look quite different than adults, exhibiting numerous light body spots.
This species is very similar in overall body shape to the Duboisi (T. duboisi). It is, however, even more variable—with many different color morphs, ranging from yellow to brown to blue to deep purple- and occurs in a different part of Lake Tanganyik
The white spots referred to in the alternative common name of this popular species occur in juveniles, which carry the numerous spots on an almost black background body color. Adults—which are very differently colored to the juveniles—occur in a number of color forms, a reflection of the discontinuous distribution of the species in its natural habitat
There are so many different types of naturally occurring “elongatus” that it is difficult to identify any particular one as being the true “elongatus.” Perhaps the specimens from around Mbamba Bay will eventually fill this niche. Similar “fluidity” applies to the generic name, with TYopheops becoming more widely accepted as a full genus (following the recommendation of Ethelwyn Trewavas in 1984), rather than as a subgenus of Pseudotropheus. However, both names appear widely in aquarium literature.
Juvenile T. mariae are strikingly marked with vertical dark and light bands; they also shoal. As they grow, though, the bands become reduced to blotches, which end up running as a horizontal line from behind the gill cover to the base of the caudal fin. Specimens also become progressively more aggressive as they mature
The Firemouth is by far the best-known Thorichthys species in the hobby, having been first imported into Europe in 1937. The “fire” from which the common name derives is not restricted to the mouth, but extends to the throat, cheeks, and all along the lower area of the body, as far as the caudal fin, making it a most impressive species indeed
When fully colored, mature males of this species are perhaps the most beautiful of all Thorichthys, though they lack the brilliant red of T. meeki. The body coloration is generally white or silvery gray, and males have a long hairlike extension at the end of their dorsal fins.