Appearance

Also known as mbuna cichlids (Maylandia estherae), Malawi cichlids come from Lake Malawi in East Africa, where they dominate. Despite their other common name of ‘Red Zebra Cichlids’, they are polymorphic (meaning the same fish can come in different colours or patterns), and come in a variety of shades, from deep reds, blues, yellow, pinks and even mottled and striped. The most commonly available domestic strains are orange.

They can grow up to 12cm long, and can live between 6-10 years with good husbandry.

Water Conditions

• Minimum Tank Size: 200 litres

• Water Parameters

  • Temperature: 22° c - 28° c

  • PH: Neutral to mildly basic - Between 7.5 and 8.6

  • Hardness: 100- 265 ppm

• Tank Specifics:

  • Rocks and caves are essential to provide smaller, weaker fish with hiding spots and the Malawis with territories to claim.

  • Red Zebra Malawi Cichlids are fairly aggressive and will need ample space to establish a territory.

  • Sand is the ideal substrate, as this mimics the floor of Lake Malawi, but these fish also enjoy rearranging pebbles - so providing some gravel may add to their enrichment.

  • These fish are known to rearrange their tanks how they see fit - plants need to be hardy to survive being potentially uprooted and moved.

Feeding

Red Zebra Malawi Cichlids are opportunistic and omnivorous, but mainly live on plant matter. Live-food may lead to bloating, which can be fatal. Some frozen aquatic fauna can be provided as a treat on occasion. Bloodworms, spinach, lettuce, duckweed, algae flakes and brine shrimp are all acceptable feed, and they thrive on variety.

Compatibility

As fairly aggressive fish, Malawi Cichlids need to be carefully considered for any tank set-up. They are best placed in a tank with other cichlids, especially mbunu cichlids, but overcrowding will lead to stress and fighting, which can lead to illness, injury, and perhaps even death. They can also tolerate bottom-feeders like corydoras.

The ideal set up may be to create a harem - one male to many female fish.

Breeding and Sexing

Males are generally larger than females when full grown, reaching a length of 12cm, whilst females will only grow to around 10cm long.

They are fairly easy to breed - female fish will engage in a behaviour called ‘mouthbrooding’, which means protecting their eggs and fry by holding them in their mouths, and will do this for around four weeks. To prevent fights over territory and mates, it is ideal to keep these fish in a harem where possible - one male to three or so females.