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African cichlids from Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika are among the most colorful freshwater fish, often compared with marine fish. Yellow labs, demasoni, peacocks and electric blues come from Malawi; Tropheus, brichardi, shell dwellers and frontosa from Tanganyika.
They need very different conditions from most tropical fish: hard, alkaline water (pH around 7.8-8.6) and lots of rockwork with caves. They are not suitable for a mixed community with tetras or livebearers.
- Mbuna: rock-dwelling, territorial and herbivorous. They are usually kept in larger, slightly crowded groups so that aggression is shared; a single target gets bullied.
- Peacocks and haps: calmer, open-water species that eat more protein.
- Tanganyika: varied, from shell dwellers that live in a 10-20 gallon (40-80 L) tank to frontosa that need 100 gallons (400 L) or more.
The yellow lab (Labidochromis caeruleus) is the usual first choice: colorful and less aggressive than most mbuna. Keep one male per species where possible, avoid mixing species that look alike, and do not combine herbivorous mbuna with meat-heavy diets, which can cause bloat.
African cichlids
| Species | Min. liters | Size | Temp. | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yellow lab cichlid Labidochromis caeruleus | 53 gal (200 L) | 3.9 in (10 cm) | 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) | Moderate |
 Auratus cichlid Melanochromis auratus | 79 gal (300 L) | 4.3 in (11 cm) | 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) | Moderate |
 Borleyi (Copadichromis borleyi) Copadichromis borleyi | 106 gal (400 L) | 5.9 in (15 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Demasoni cichlid Chindongo demasoni | 79 gal (300 L) | 3.1 in (8 cm) | 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) | Difficult |
 Electric blue hap Sciaenochromis fryeri | 106 gal (400 L) | 6.3 in (16 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Frontosa cichlid Cyphotilapia frontosa | 159 gal (600 L) | 11.8 in (30 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Multifasciatus (shell dweller) Neolamprologus multifasciatus | 16 gal (60 L) | 1.8 in (4.5 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Peacock cichlid (Aulonocara) Aulonocara jacobfreibergi | 79 gal (300 L) | 5.1 in (13 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Princess cichlid Neolamprologus brichardi | 40 gal (150 L) | 3.5 in (9 cm) | 73–81 °F (23–27 °C) | Moderate |
 Tropheus moorii Tropheus moorii | 106 gal (400 L) | 4.7 in (12 cm) | 75–81 °F (24–27 °C) | Difficult |
 Zebra mbuna (Maylandia zebra) Maylandia zebra | 79 gal (300 L) | 4.7 in (12 cm) | 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) | Moderate |
No species match those filters.