Afra cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is an aggressive, territorial fish, and males in particular will defend a patch of rock. Plan for a tank of at least 110 liters and keep one male with several females to spread out the aggression, or house it in a busy Malawi setup. It feeds in the middle of the tank, grazing algae and small invertebrates in the wild. In the aquarium, use a quality cichlid pellet and algae wafers, with occasional frozen food.

In the wild

The afra cichlid lives along the rocky shorelines of Lake Malawi in East Africa. The water is hard, alkaline, and warm, and the fish stick close to piles of rock for cover and grazing. Recreate that with a big rockwork setup, open swimming lanes, and hard water in the high 20s C. A pH between 7.5 and 8.5 is what they need.

Good to know

This is a mbuna cichlid in the family Cichlidae. Adults reach around 10 cm. Males show bright blue with dark bars while females stay plainer. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, so the female holds eggs and fry in her mouth until they can fend for themselves. Wild populations are currently stable.

Did you know

The genus name Cynotilapia means dog-toothed tilapia, a nod to the small pointed teeth at the front of the jaw. Those teeth help it nip plankton and pick at algae rather than scrape rock the way some other mbuna do.

Related species

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