Golden fleece zebra
Maylandia chrysomallos
Also known as Metriaclima chrysomallos
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–82°F (24–28°C)
- pH
- 7.5–8.5
- Adult size
- 4.3 in (11 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 53 gal (200 L)
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Lake Malawi
- Family
- Cichlidae
Overview
Keep this mbuna as one male with several females over heavy rockwork, and expect the usual mbuna politics of chasing and posturing. It patrols the lower water around the rocks and grazes the algae film on them, so give it hard structure with caves and a tank of at least 200 liters that can spread aggression across a group. Suitable tankmates are other robust mbuna of similar size and manners; leave out small, slow, or timid fish. Its food should be mostly vegetable, built on spirulina flake and pellet and algae, as too much rich or meaty food upsets rock grazing mbuna.
In the wild
The golden fleece zebra is known only from the rocky shore around Mumbo Island in Lake Malawi, where it grazes the algae covered stone. Give it the lake's hard, alkaline water, kept warm at 24–28 C and around pH 7.5–8.5, with stacked rock forming caves and territories over a sandy floor. Stable water chemistry and strong filtration suit these rift lake grazers.
Good to know
Maylandia chrysomallos is a member of the family Cichlidae reaching about 11 centimeters, described in 2011 from Mumbo Island. Its name comes from the Greek for golden and for wool or fleece, for the gold sheen the males carry over the dark zebra barring. As a rock dwelling mbuna it is a maternal mouthbrooder, and it breeds with moderate difficulty.
Did you know
Chrysomallos was the golden fleeced ram of Greek myth, the animal whose hide became the Golden Fleece that Jason sailed off to find; this mbuna borrows the same name for the gold it wears over its bars.
Common questions
What size tank does a Golden fleece zebra need?
A Golden fleece zebra needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH do Golden fleece zebra need?
Golden fleece zebra are comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
How big do Golden fleece zebra get?
An adult Golden fleece zebra reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).
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