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
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Lake Malawi
Overview
Mostly peaceful for a Malawi cichlid but it gets pushy when breeding, so give it room. It uses the mid water and needs a large tank, at least 200 liters and more for a group. Keep it in the mid to high 20s C with a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. It is an omnivore, so feed a mix of quality cichlid pellets, vegetable matter, and the occasional frozen food. Keep one male with several females and house it with other sturdy, similarly sized Malawi species.
In the wild
The red empress comes from Lake Malawi, living over the intermediate zone where rock gives way to open sand. It feeds in the shallows down to around 20 meters. Build the tank around that, with rock work for cover next to open sand and swimming space, and hard, alkaline water to match the lake.
Good to know
A member of the Cichlidae from the haplochromine group, this species reaches about 20 cm. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, and a dominant male holds a territory and spawns with multiple females, which then incubate the eggs and fry. Males turn red and blue while females stay a plain brownish grey. It is not considered at risk.
Did you know
Young red empress males look just like females, plain and grey, and some use that to their advantage. They slip into a dominant male's territory during spawning and fertilize eggs before being chased off, sneaking in genes without holding a territory of their own.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
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.
How big does a Red empress cichlid get?
An adult Red empress cichlid reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).
Related species
8.7 in (22 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Blue and yellow hap
Protomelas spilonotus
8.7 in (22 cm) · 119 gal (450 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Fenestratus hap
Protomelas fenestratus
5.5 in (14 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)
7.2 in (18.2 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Ornate hap
Protomelas ornatus
7.2 in (18.2 cm) · 106 gal (400 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Chameleon hap
Protomelas annectens
7.9 in (20 cm) · 119 gal (450 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)32 gal (120 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Blood parrot cichlid
A. citrinellus x V. synspilum
7.9 in (20 cm) · 32 gal (120 L)
7.9 in (20 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Featherfin cichlid
Cyathopharynx furcifer
7.9 in (20 cm) · 119 gal (450 L)