Kenyi cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

These are aggressive, territorial fish, and the males are the worst offenders. Keep them in a group of one male with several females in a big rocky tank so aggression gets spread around instead of landing on one fish. Feed a vegetable-based diet of spirulina flake, algae-based pellets, and blanched greens. Too much protein causes digestive problems in mbuna, so go easy on meaty foods.

In the wild

Kenyi cichlids come from the rocky shores of Lake Malawi in East Africa, where the water is hard and alkaline. They live among piles of rock that give them cover and territory lines. Set the tank up the same way, with lots of stacked rockwork, hard water, and a pH up in the 7.5 to 8.5 range. Give them at least 200 liters so the males can spread out.

Good to know

This is a mbuna cichlid in the family Cichlidae, originally described as Pseudotropheus lombardoi. Adults reach about 14 cm. Sexes look completely different. Males are yellow, females are blue with dark vertical bars. They are maternal mouthbrooders, and wild populations are stable for now.

Did you know

Newborn Kenyi fry are bright blue, and only the males change to yellow as they mature. That means a tank full of young fish all looks the same color until the boys start showing their adult coats.

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