Red cheek tropheops

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep one male with several females in a rocky tank of at least 280 liters with hard alkaline water at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.6 to 8.6. It is a territorial mbuna, so provide caves and pair it with other sturdy rock dwellers. Feed a vegetable based diet of spirulina and algae pellets with light frozen treats. Starting with a group helps the fish sort out territories.

In the wild

This mbuna grazes algae along the rocky coasts of Lake Malawi and is named for the bright red flush on the cheeks and gill covers of dominant males. Males are otherwise dark to blue while females are usually plain brown or yellow. It holds and defends a feeding territory on the rocks.

Good to know

Tropheops sp. Red Cheek is one of many undescribed color forms in the Tropheops group, still traded under a location or nickname rather than a full species name. It is a maternal mouthbrooder and a steep sided algae grazer. The genus was once lumped into Pseudotropheus before being recognized on its own.

Did you know

Only the dominant male wears the namesake red cheeks in full, so a tank of subordinate fish can look surprisingly plain until one takes charge.

Related species

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