fmueller.com

I picked these julis up as BAP fish at an OCA meeting, simply because the price was irresistible, and I had never kept julis before. The transcriptus seemed one of the most desirable varieties to me because of their interesting and versatile pattern on their side that looks like writing - hence their Latin name. At the time I didn’t realize that they are one of the smaller varieties with a maximum length of about 3″. Of course for this tank with lots of larger tank mates, a bigger variety like marlieri or regani with a maximum length of about 5″ would have been preferable.

Anyhow, I still like the look of the transcriptus best. There was actually a picture of one posted on Cichlid-forum at some stage that had ‘HELLO’ written on the side! I am not kidding you, and it was not one of those horrible ‘painted fish’, just a fluke of nature. I put all six of my little transcriptus in this big tank, and I now think that might have been a bit mean of me, and I probably lost five of them, presumably due to predation. At any rate, I have only ever seen one of them in a long time now, and that one always hangs out around the same little cave in the background on the overflow box on the right-hand side. It’s entirely possible that there are still more of them in the tank, and are hiding in the background, but if they do, they are doing a fine job of it, seeing that I haven’t spotted them for so long. I have been reluctant to replenish the juli population, or add any other rockdwellers for that matter, because I feel like the caves that they would want to occupy have probably already been taken up by my leleupi.

Addendum Juli 2007: Earlier this week I discovered a juli on the other end of the tank from where the one known survivor tends to hang out. Since then I have been watching to see if he/she travels about or if there is another one. Last night finally I managed to spot two at the same time, with one being slightly larger than the other, but none over 2″. Coincidentally today I did a major sump cleanup and next to one 4″ petricola catfish, 10 small BN plecos, and 12 small leleupi, I also discovered one tiny (about 0.5″) juli in the sump. I initially thought I had spotted my first frontosa fry, but the fish clearly is too slender to be a front, and there are way to many stripes. Consequently I have to concede that there is not only more than one surviving juli in the tank, but they are even breeding! I wish I could get some more fry from them, but I guess I can only hope for more to jump in the sump not too long before I do a service.

2nd Addendum Juli 2007:With the knowledge that they are there, I have finally managed to locate the spawning cave of the juli pair, of which the original suspected lone survivor happens to be no part. I also managed to get some better photos of them, which you can now see on this page.

The first picture shows one of them in front of the cave entrance - the vertical dark line on the left. In the second picture, you can just barely see the second juli in the cave.

An about 0.5″ juvenile.