Cobalt Blue Zebra Cichlid

General information

The average adult male is 5 inches while the average adult female is 3 inches. Males have a pale blue body with four orange egg spots on the anal fin and females are either light blue or white and don’t have any egg spots. To keep these fish in an aquarium, the water should have a pH between 8.0 and 9.0 and water temperatures from 75ºF to 80ºF. The tank should also have a dark sandy bottom, open space to swim, plenty of loose rocks or gravel, caves and plants which they will most likely uproot and eat. This species is aggressive, especially between themselves. However, it is best to keep them in a community aquarium with other Mbunas. Also, it is advisable to keep them in groups of 10 to spread out the aggressive behavior.

This species is primarily vegetarian. In the wild, it feeds on the algae covering the rocks. In captivity, it can be fed with flakes, leafy seaweeds, and Cichlid pellets. They shouldn’t be fed with live worms and brine shrimp since these foods can bloat and kill the fish.

Males are larger and more intensely colored.

The female will spawn on a rock and then pick up the unfertilized eggs into her mouth, she will then follow the male due to the eggs spots on his anal fin which she thinks are more eggs to pick up, and the male will release the sperm and fertilize the eggs. The female will maintain the eggs for three weeks before releasing the fry. Once the fry is free, they can be fed with newly hatched brine shrimp, Daphnia or crushed flake food. To breed this species in captivity, it is recommended to keep a male with at least three females.

This species can be found in the rocky shores of Lake Malawi, Africa.

These fish tend to build nests by picking up rocks and moving them, which will quickly expose underground filters, as such, it is best not to use these in an aquarium with Metriaclima callainos.