Slim zebra
Maylandia tarakiki
Also known as Metriaclima tarakiki, Zebra slim
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–82°F (24–28°C)
- pH
- 7.5–8.5
- Adult size
- 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 66 gal (250 L)
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Lake Malawi, Mbamba Bay
- Family
- Cichlidae
Overview
The slim zebra is a slender, torpedo-shaped mbuna that needs open swimming lanes between the rocks rather than a solid wall of stone. Keep it as a group with more females than males, alongside other robust mbuna of similar size, and choose tankmates carefully because it carries the usual mbuna temper. Feed a vegetable-leaning diet of spirulina flake and algae wafers. Give it hard water and long rockwork with gaps to cruise. A tank of around 250 liters with plenty of length suits a group.
In the wild
Maylandia tarakiki patrols the sediment-free rocks of the coast around Mbamba Bay, on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi. That water is hard, alkaline, warm and clear. Match it with hard alkaline water at pH 7.5-8.5 and 24-28 C, a sandy base, and long runs of rockwork broken by open swimming space.
Good to know
Maylandia tarakiki, also written Metriaclima tarakiki, is a cichlid reaching about 14 centimeters on an unusually slim frame for a zebra. Orange-blotch morphs, blotched black on orange, turn up regularly. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, and breeding is of medium difficulty.
Did you know
The name says it plainly: tarakiki is Kiswahili for slim, and this is the zebra built like a torpedo. The slim shape is the first thing a keeper notices, and the describers simply put that observation into the scientific name.
Common questions
What size tank does a Slim zebra need?
A Slim zebra needs at least 66 gal (250 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH do Slim zebra need?
Slim zebra are comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
How big do Slim zebra get?
An adult Slim zebra reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Imperial Tropicals Freshwater fish and inverts bred at a Florida hatchery
- The Wet Spot Tropical Fish Large selection of quarantined tropical freshwater fish, with live arrival guarantee and Next Day Air flat rate shipping to all US locations
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
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Related species
Fainzilber's mbuna
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Mpanga red-top zebra
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