December - Hill Country Cichlid Club

12
Iranocichla hormuzensis, Coad, 1982 - Dave Hansen
Many aquatic hobbyists pursue rare fish. Scarcity
in the hobby however, does not necessarily translate
into a species being difficult or interesting to maintain.
I am fortunate to possess a group of the uncommon
and fascinating cichlid Iranocichla hormuzensis.
The first challenge is undoubtedly locating
this fish. Once you have found I. hormuzensis,
breeding can be a daunting chore. I will explain the
obstacles I have encountered during this article.
Iranocichla hormuzensis is the only cichlid found in
Iran and is the lone member of the genus
(monotypical). It is a maternal mouthbrooder with
an extremely limited range along the southern coast
of Iran being restricted to rivers draining into the
Strait of Hormuz. The word “river” can be misleading
as I have seen pictures of this species being collected
in ankle deep water flowing at a snail’s pace.
Every waterway seems to be slightly different, ranging
in width from 1-50 meters. Often the streams
will experience diminished flow rates and will settle
into pools. Some years the pools may have fish
and others they do not. The parameters of the water
of its habitat vary wildly in regards to both salinity
and temperature. This is a large portion of the challenge
in keeping these animals. Normally when I
learn a fish comes from a system of fluctuating
measurements, I associate it with a species that is
easy to keep and a little bit more tolerant of the wa-