Nanochromis transvestitus

Nanochromis transvestitus is endemic to the blackwater Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it lives along the lake's rocky and sandy shores. It owes its name to its reversed color difference: the female is very eye-catching with her red belly and black-and-white vertical bands on the tail and anal fin, while the male is plain, in grayish-olive tones with faint bars. The tips of the male's dorsal and anal fins are slightly extended.

• At least 60 liters for a pair; rock piles, roots and plenty of hiding places.
• 24–27°C; soft, acidic water. Breeding requires pH 5–6 and 25–26°C; it rarely spawns above pH 6.
• Fine sand (the pair digs a cave under a stone or root) and dim light.

Omnivorous. It feeds on small sinking granules, frozen brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia and fine bloodworms.

Relatively peaceful toward shy, soft-water companions, but aggressive toward its own kind. The pair digs a cave together and cares for the eggs and fry together for about a month. It hunts shrimp.

Good companions: small soft-water tetras and African characins, pencilfish.

Avoid: other Nanochromis or dwarf cichlid pairs (in a small tank), hard-water species, shrimp, active and dominant fish.