Red empress cichlid
Protomelas taeniolatus
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–82°F
- 24–28°C
- pH
- 7.5–8.5
- Adult size
- 7.9 in
- 20 cm
- Minimum tank
- 53 gal
- 200 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Mouthbrooder · Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Lake Malawi
Overview
The red empress cichlid is mostly peaceful for a Malawi cichlid and suits a big community of sturdy lake fish. It is a good step up from the easiest fish.
Caring for the red empress cichlid
Give a red empress cichlid at least 53 gal (200 L), and more for a group. Build rockwork for cover next to open sand, with plenty of swimming space in the middle of the tank.
Keep the water hard and alkaline, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. The red empress is an omnivore, so feed a mix of quality cichlid pellets, vegetable matter and the occasional frozen food.
It gets pushy when breeding, so give it room. Keep one male with several females, and house them with other sturdy Malawi species of a similar size.
Males turn red and blue, while females stay a plain brownish gray. The red empress is a maternal mouthbrooder. A dominant male spawns with several females, which then incubate the eggs and fry. Breeding it is hard.
Good to know
Protomelas taeniolatus is a member of the family Cichlidae from the haplochromine group. It is not considered at risk.
In the wild
The red empress lives in Lake Malawi, over the intermediate zone where rock gives way to open sand. It feeds in the shallows down to around 20 meters.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The red empress 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 red empress cichlid need?
A red empress cichlid needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a red empress cichlid need?
A red empress cichlid is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
What does a red empress cichlid eat?
A red empress cichlid is an omnivore. Feed it a mix of quality cichlid pellets, vegetable matter and the occasional frozen food.
How big does a red empress cichlid get?
An adult red empress cichlid reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).
How can you tell a male red empress cichlid from a female?
Males turn red and blue, while females stay a plain brownish gray.
How does a red empress cichlid breed?
The red empress cichlid is a maternal mouthbrooder. A dominant male spawns with several females, which then incubate the eggs and fry, and breeding it is hard.
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