General information - The steatocranus casuarius is an elongated

fish with a cranial lump. the body coloring changes from dark, green

gray to a light gray. Their swim bladders are not as well developed,

they are sometimes observed to move more in hops than a swimming

movement  In nature the steatocranus casuarius inhabit fast moving

water so they are preferred to stay close to the substrate. by time

passing their ability to swim decreases while their ability to move

close to the ground has developed.   

Common Name - Buffalo Head Cichlid, Lionhead Cichlid, Humphead,

African Blockhead       

Scientific Name - steatocranus casuarius        

Family – Cichlidae  

Origin – Congo River Basin, Lake Tanganyika 

Size – about 12 cm (4.7 inches) 

First discovered - Poll, 1939 

home tank it will eat a range of foods, flakes, pellets frozen or live food.  

Behavior – peaceful but territorial.  

Maintenance and care – tank capacity of 25-30 gallon is require for this fish. Make sure to have a lot of

hiding spaces in the tank, rocks woods and caves. The Lionhead Cichlid need light colored, fine gravel to

show their best colors In nature the Humphead found in shallow fast moving water so make sure to create

strong current in its tank. Water changes and well filtered water are essential for this fish.  

Water Parameters – temperature: 75F-82F (24C-28C), PH: 6-8, DH: 2-15 

Breeding – the Humphead are cave spawners and are extremely shy when it comes to spawning.

They mate when nobody is around and spawn at night.As a spawning site the pair will chose a hidden

dark place. The female will clean the surface and lay her eggs while the male going over the eggs

and fertilize them. The first spawns contain 40-50 eggs but as they get mature and get the experienced

they lay more then 100 eggs in one egg batch. The parents will be extremely protective of their eggs

and fry. Fry growth is fast and after 6 month they reach 3-4 cm.