Emperor cichlid
Boulengerochromis microlepis
Also known as Giant cichlid, Yellow-belly cichlid
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 7.8–9.0
- Adult size
- 31.5 in
- 80 cm
- Minimum tank
- 528 gal
- 2,000 L
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Substrate spawner
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Lake Tanganyika
Overview
The emperor cichlid is the largest cichlid in the world and an aggressive predator. In a home setting it is a public-aquarium animal, needing pond-scale volume and an experienced keeper.
Did you know
The emperor cichlid seems to gamble everything on one brood. A pair guards a vast cloud of young until it disperses, and then the parents are thought to die, spent by the effort.
Caring for the emperor cichlid
A juvenile emperor cichlid looks manageable, but an adult grows to the size of a large predator. It needs at least 528 gal (2,000 L) and far more in practice, so think very hard before buying the charming juvenile. No home tank truly recreates its habitat.
Give it open water and hard, alkaline chemistry, at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.8 to 9.0. Strong filtration and pristine water are essential for a fish that grows this large and eats this much. Feed meaty foods and large sinking items as it grows.
Keep it alone or, at most, with a matched partner, and never in a group. Never house it with anything small enough to be eaten. Any tank mate must be large, tough and genuinely expendable.
It is a biparental substrate spawner, and a pair may guard tens of thousands of fry. There is essentially no record of it breeding in home aquariums, in part because of its size.
Good to know
The emperor cichlid, Boulengerochromis microlepis, is a member of the family Cichlidae. Its males can reach several kilograms.
In the wild
The emperor cichlid lives along the open shorelines and over the shallow shelves of Lake Tanganyika. It is a roaming, fish-eating giant.
Common questions
What size tank does an emperor cichlid need?
An emperor cichlid needs at least 528 gal (2,000 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does an emperor cichlid need?
An emperor cichlid is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.8–9.0.
What does an emperor cichlid eat?
An emperor cichlid eats meaty foods, with large sinking items as it grows.
How big does an emperor cichlid get?
An adult emperor cichlid reaches about 31.5 in (80 cm).
How does an emperor cichlid breed?
The emperor cichlid is a biparental substrate spawner, and a pair may guard tens of thousands of fry. There is essentially no record of it breeding in a home aquarium.
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