Venustus cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a predator that eats smaller fish in the wild, so do not house it with anything bite-sized. Give it a big tank, 280 liters or more, with sand to dig in and rock piles to break up sight lines. It sits in the middle and lower water and is mostly peaceful for its size, but it needs room and robust tankmates. Feed quality cichlid pellets plus meaty frozen foods like shrimp.

In the wild

This cichlid lives in Lake Malawi, mostly over sand and in the in-between zones where sand meets rock. It hunts across open bottom, so it needs a tank with a sandy floor and some rockwork for structure. Match the lake with hard, alkaline water (pH 7.5 to 8.5) in the mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

It is a Malawi cichlid in the family Cichlidae and grows large for the group, up to about 30 cm. Its blotchy gold and brown pattern earns it the nickname giraffe cichlid. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, with the female holding eggs and fry in her mouth, though home spawning records are limited. Mature males develop a blue face over the yellow body.

Did you know

It hunts by playing dead. The fish will sink to the sand and lie still, partly buried, using its mottled pattern to look like a dead, decaying fish on the bottom. When a curious smaller fish comes in to investigate, it snaps to life and grabs the meal.

Related species

• 

  Kaligono

  Nimbochromis polystigma

  10.2 in (26 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Livingston's cichlid

  Nimbochromis livingstonii

  9.8 in (25 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Fusco Hap

  Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus

  9.8 in (25 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Pantano cichlid

  Cincelichthys pearsei

  11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)

• 

  Severum

  Heros efasciatus

  11.8 in (30 cm)65 gal (245 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)
• Tailbar cichlid

  Vieja hartwegi

  11 in (28 cm)92 gal (350 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)