# Nile Perch in Lake Tanganyika



## Paleo fish (Feb 21, 2008)

I have been looking into Nile Perch and I have found there are Nile Perch in lake Tanganyika. Why isn't their any problems like in lake Victoria?

http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/places/tanganyi.htm
"Species of particular note include the Giant Nile Perch (Lates angustifrons) and Small Nile Perch (Luciolates stappersii) which are important commercial and sports fishing (that is angling) species, Goliath Tiger (Hydrocynus goliath) and the English Fish or Lake Tanganyika yellow-belly (Boulengerochromis microlepis) which are important angling species (the latter being especially prized for its good eating), the Kapenta (Limnothrissa miodon) which is an important source of fish-protein in Zambia, the rare Bichir (Polypterus congicus), and a great variety of endemic Cichlids."


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Check out the Latin names... :thumb:


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## Paleo fish (Feb 21, 2008)

Ah yeah i see. Well they are still related lol.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Paleo fish said:


> Ah yeah i see. Well they are still related lol.


 true, but of course, it can make a huge difference when the species is different.

Assuming that the two species are equatable though, I can still see how a "Nile Perch" in Lake Vic doesn't have the same effect as a "Nile Perch" in Tanganyika... for one, the Emporer cichlid would compete with it... I don't think that the Nile Perch in Lake Vic has any predators or competitors.


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## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

Hi the problem is not the presence or absence of Nile perch but rather that in tanganiyka lake, the cichlids and others species evolved with the lates(so they know them and are adapted to their act of predation), in Victoria lake, Nile perch disappeared in the neolitihics ages and the fishes evolved without them so when they were reintroduced, the fishes ignored their hunting startegies.
xris


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## zenobium (Jan 5, 2006)

There is a strong possibility the Nile Perch has been introduced to Tanganyika at some time, but just didnt thrive there. Lake Tang is a much cleaner lake than Victoria, which is hypereutrophic and full of sediment. From my understanding, these conditions are a big part of the reason Nile Perch have done so well there.

-Zen


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## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

hi
It's not the only reason, Nile perch in Victoria lake suffers from eutrophication as well. Its demands in dissolved oxygen is near saturation so it cannot live under 20-30 meters depth. The Haplochromines now get down to this depths to escape nile perch predation and find suitable place to spawn(I'm talking about the benthics ones). The lattes in Tanganiyka are there from the birth of the lake so this is not an invasive species there but an indigenous one(yu have 2 or 3 species of lattes in there) but the lattes in lake Tang are not the same species as the nile perch(Lattes niloticus for the second, Lattes angustrifons in lake tang.
xris


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## gbarnga (Sep 14, 2008)

zenobium said:


> There is a strong possibility the Nile Perch has been introduced to Tanganyika at some time, but just didnt thrive there
> -Zen


Do you have some info on this possible introduction? Papers? Thanks



samaki said:


> hi
> It's not the only reason, Nile perch in Victoria lake suffers from eutrophication as well. Its demands in dissolved oxygen is near saturation so it cannot live under 20-30 meters depth. The Haplochromines now get down to this depths to escape nile perch predation and find suitable place to spawn(I'm talking about the benthics ones).


Depends on thermoclineâ€¦



samaki said:


> The lattes in Tanganiyka are there from the birth of the lake so this is not an invasive species there but an indigenous one(yu have 2 or 3 species of lattes in there) but the lattes in lake Tang are not the same species as the nile perch(Lattes niloticus for the second, Lattes angustrifons in lake tang.
> xris


Four endemic species of the genus _Lates_ in Lake Tanganyika. Not sure they are inside the lake from its birth.


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