Quick summary The Electric Blue Ram is a beautiful but delicate colour variant of the German Blue Ram, best suited to experienced keepers who can maintain warm, soft, acidic water with stable, pristine parameters. It is not a good choice for beginners, as it is more prone to disease, water fluctuations, and breeding failures than…
Quick summary The Cobalt Blue Zebra Cichlid suits beginners who can provide a 200+ litre tank with hard, alkaline water, rocky aquascaping, and a group setup of one male to several females to manage its territorial aggression. It’s a hardy, easy-to-breed fish, but it isn’t suitable for a typical community tank and requires a herbivorous…
Quick summary The Chipokae Cichlid is a stunning but highly aggressive Lake Malawi cichlid best suited to experienced aquarists with a large tank of 300 litres or more, not beginners. It needs hard, alkaline water, a harem setup with multiple females, and carefully chosen tank mates to manage its intense territorial behaviour. In this guide:…
Quick summary The Golden Ornate Julie suits moderately experienced aquarists who can maintain stable, hard, alkaline Tanganyikan water and provide a rock-filled tank of at least 75 litres. It’s a good pick if you want a compact, characterful cichlid that forms long-term pair bonds and can be bred at home, but it’s not ideal for…
Quick summary The Five Barred Cichlid is a bold, territorial Lake Tanganyika species best suited to aquarists with some African cichlid experience who can provide a large tank (200 litres minimum, more for pairs or groups), extensive rockwork, and stable, hard, alkaline water. It is not a beginner community fish, as its aggression, especially during…
Quick summary Multies are a tiny, easy to care for Tanganyikan cichlid ideal for beginners who can provide hard, alkaline water, a sandy substrate and plenty of shells, and they breed so readily that you’ll soon need a plan for the growing colony. Just note they aren’t a typical peaceful community fish, as they can…
Quick summary The Red Fin Kadango Cichlid is a good fit for intermediate aquarists with a 300+ litre tank and hard, alkaline water, thanks to its peaceful-for-a-cichlid temperament and manageable care needs. Beginners should note it needs stable water quality, a proper Malawi diet to avoid bloat, and careful tank mate selection, so it’s best…
Quick summary The White Spotted Cichlid is a demanding species best suited to experienced keepers who can provide a 300+ litre tank, stable alkaline Lake Tanganyika water conditions, and a large group of 12 to 15 or more fish to spread out aggression. It also requires a strictly herbivorous diet, as meaty foods can cause…
Quick summary The Auratus Cichlid is a stunning but notoriously aggressive Lake Malawi cichlid best suited to aquarists with some African cichlid experience, a tank of 200 litres or more, and a plan for managing one dominant male with a harem of females. It is easy to feed and breed, but beginners are better off…
Quick summary Livingston’s Cichlid is a large, predatory Lake Malawi fish that needs a 450+ litre tank, hard alkaline water, and tank mates too big to be eaten, so it suits intermediate to advanced cichlid keepers rather than beginners. If you can provide the space and a meaty diet, it rewards you with striking colours…