Red Zebra Cichlid

General information

Males in the wild are blue or pinkish while females are dark orange or red. In captivity, males are orange and females are a lighter orange. To keep this species in captivity, water pH should be between 7.6 and 8.6 and water temperatures should be between 73ºF and 82ºF. The tank should have plenty of rocks, caves, a fine gravel substrate and driftwood. These fish can be kept in a community tank as long as its tankmates have a similar size and attitude, good tankmates are  Pseudotropheus kenyi, Melanochromis iohanni, Labidochromis caeruleus, Pseudotropheus crabro and Pseudotropheus socolofi. It is best to avoid putting other zebra species in the same tank to avoid hybridization. This species should be kept in a group of several females to one male, a 30 gallon aquarium is enough for 3 to 5 individuals of these species.

This species is omnivorous. In the wild, it feeds on the rock’s biofilm and macroinvertebrates. In a tank it can be fed with flakes, pellets , romaine lettuce, spinach and other vegetable matter and live foods like brine shrimp, crickets and worms.

Males are larger and have eggs spots on their anal fin.

The male starts by displaying to the female, the female will lay her eggs and pick them up with her mouth after the male fertilizes them. After 10 days the eggs hatch but the female will keep the fry in her mouth for 15 more days. To breed these fish in captivity, it is best to keep 3 to 5 females for 1 male.

These fish are susceptible to Malawi Bloat if their dietary needs aren’t met.

This species can be found in Lake Malawi, Africa.

These individuals like to dig a lot, so it is advised not to have undergravel filters in a tank with this species.