Powder blue cichlid
Chindongo socolofi
Also known as Pseudotropheus socolofi, Pindani, Socolof's cichlid
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 7.6–8.6
- Adult size
- 4.7 in
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank
- 53 gal
- 200 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Easy
- Rarity
- Common
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Rocky coasts along the eastern shore of Lake Malawi in East Africa.
Overview
A group does well in a rocky tank of 200 liters or more with hard alkaline water at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.6 to 8.6. It is calmer than most mbuna but still territorial, so give it caves and keep it with similar sized rock dwellers. Feed a vegetable based diet with spirulina and algae wafers plus occasional frozen foods. Keep one male with several females to spread out breeding aggression.
In the wild
The powder blue lives among rock piles along the Mozambique side of Lake Malawi. It grazes algae and picks small invertebrates from the rocks in fairly shallow water. Males and females look almost identical, both wearing the same pale blue coat.
Good to know
Long sold as Pseudotropheus socolofi, this fish was moved to the genus Chindongo in a 2016 revision of the elongate mbuna group. It is one of the few mbuna where both sexes keep the full color rather than the males alone. The species is named after aquarium importer Ross Socolof.
Did you know
Its even temper for a mbuna makes it one of the more forgiving African cichlids for a first rift lake tank.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Powder blue cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Common questions
What size tank does a Powder blue cichlid need?
A Powder blue cichlid needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Powder blue cichlid need?
A Powder blue cichlid is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.6–8.6.
How big does a Powder blue cichlid get?
An adult Powder blue cichlid reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).
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