Sunday, October 16, 2011

African Cichlids-Mbuna

Here are some common cichlid species that are oftentimes available to be purchased. I have included their scientific names as well as their common names, which are mostly used to help find them in your local fish store. I have also included a picture of these colorful fish, their 'temperament' (whether they are aggressive or peaceful cichlids) and 'size'. This should help you in choosing African cichlids.

Metriaclima lombardoi (Kenyi) 
Temperament: If taken from the wild they are very aggressive. If they are captive bred, then they are a little less aggressive.

Size: Up to 5 inches.



Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow Lab)
Temperament: Very peaceful

Size: Up to 3 inches for a fully grown electric yellow cichlid


Melanochromis johannii (Electric Blue)
Temperament: Moderately aggressive

Size: Up to 4 inches


Metriaclima estherae (Red Zebra)
Temperament: Moderately aggressive

Size: Up to 4.5 inches


Melanochromis auratus (Golden Mbuna)
Temperament: Moderately aggressive

Size: Up to 3.5 inches


Pseudotropheus demasoni (Demason)
Temperament: Very mild mannered

Size: Up to 3 inches


Metriaclima callainos (Cobalt Zebra)
 
Temperament: Mildly aggressive

Size: Up to 5 inches


Pseudotropheus socolofi (Pindani)
Temperament: Mildly aggressive

Size: Up to 3 inches


Metriaclima crabro (Bumble Bee)
photo from petfish.net
 Temperament: Some say aggressive, some peaceful. Mine was peaceful

Size: Up to 4.5 inches

African Cichlids (Mbuna) are probably the most common fish because they are easy to obtain from fish stores and they are popular because of their beautiful colors. I have only included a few species but their are many, many, many more and if you want to learn more about other species then it's easy to do by doing a search on the internet. Hopefully this information helps beginners get a basic understanding of the different types of Lake Malawi cichlids from Africa. Happy fish-keeping! Read more about African cichlids.