Yellow sand cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group of six or more in a tank of at least 200 liters with a soft sand bottom and pristine water at 24 to 27 C, pH 7.8 to 9.0. Real sand is essential since gravel can harm this sifting feeder. It is peaceful and easily bullied, so choose gentle tankmates or keep a species tank. Feed frozen foods like cyclops and brine shrimp along with fine sinking foods.

In the wild

The yellow sand cichlid lives over open sand in Lake Tanganyika, often at the foot of rocky slopes. It takes mouthfuls of sand and sifts out tiny invertebrates. It moves in gregarious groups when not breeding.

Good to know

Xenotilapia flavipinnis is a biparental mouthbrooder, with the pair sharing the job of carrying the eggs and fry. It is very sensitive to poor water quality, more so than most rift lake cichlids. Its pale body with yellow fins helps it blend into the sunlit sand.

Did you know

The parents share the brooding, one carrying the eggs for a while before passing the whole mouthful to its partner.

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