Slim zebra
Maylandia tarakiki
Also known as Metriaclima tarakiki, Zebra slim
FreshwaterFish
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
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Mouthbrooder · Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Origin
- Lake Malawi, Mbamba Bay
Overview
The slim zebra is a slender, aggressive mbuna for a long Malawi cichlid tank. It is a moderate challenge to keep.
Did you know
The slim zebra's species name, tarakiki, is Kiswahili for slim. Its torpedo-like shape is the first thing a keeper notices, and the describers simply put that into the scientific name.
Caring for the slim zebra
Give a group of slim zebras a tank of at least 66 gal (250 L), with plenty of length. Build long runs of rockwork over a sandy base, broken by gaps and open swimming lanes rather than a solid wall of stone. They cruise those gaps low in 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. Feed a vegetable-leaning diet of spirulina flake and algae wafers.
Keep slim zebras in a group with more females than males. Mix them with other robust mbuna of similar size, and choose any tank mates carefully, since they carry the usual mbuna temper. The slim zebra is a maternal mouthbrooder, and breeding it is moderately difficult.
Good to know
The slim zebra is Maylandia tarakiki, also written Metriaclima tarakiki, a cichlid of the family Cichlidae. Orange-blotch morphs, blotched black on orange, turn up regularly.
In the wild
The slim zebra patrols the sediment-free rocks of the coast around Mbamba Bay, on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi. The water there is hard, alkaline, warm and clear.
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 does a slim zebra need?
A slim zebra is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.
What does a slim zebra eat?
A slim zebra eats a vegetable-leaning diet of spirulina flake and algae wafers.
How big does a slim zebra get?
An adult slim zebra reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).
How does a slim zebra breed?
The slim zebra is a maternal mouthbrooder. Breeding it is moderately difficult.
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