| Common name |
Taxonomy |
Picture |
Size |
Tank Type |
Care Level |
Remarks |
Temp Range |
Acceptable pH |
Recommended water hardness |
| Sunshine peacock cichlid |
Aulonocara baenschi |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
|
Easy |
74-80| |7.6-8.2| |
|
| Red fin hap |
Copadichromis borleyi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Eureka red peacock |
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
|
Easy |
Beautiful coloration on males |
|
|
|
| Spilo |
Champsochromis spilorhynchus |
|
40 cm (16 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Blue dolphin cichlid, lumphead cichlid |
Cyrtocara moorii |
|
25 cm (9.8 in) |
|
Easy |
|
|
|
|
| Afra cichlid, dogtooth cichild |
Cynotilapia afra |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
|
|
|
|
| Rusty cichlid, lavender cichild |
Iodotropheus sprengerae |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Fuelleborn's cichlid, Blue mbuna |
Labeotropheus fuelleborni |
|
18 cm (7.1 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Electric yellow cichlid |
Labidochromis caeruleus |
|
20 cm (7.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Very active and entertaining fish, need many rock caves to allow establishment of territories, less aggressive than other mbuna |
|
|
|
| Malawi eyebiter |
Dimidiochromis compressiceps |
|
|
|
Easy |
|
|
|
|
| Hongi, Red-top kimpumpa |
Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" |
|
13 cm (5.1 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba Bay" |
|
13 cm (5.1 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Auratus cichlid, Malawi golden cichlid |
Melanochromis auratus |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
|
Easy |
Aggressive |
|
|
|
| Chipokee cichlid |
Melanochromis chipokae |
|
12 cm (4.7 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Aggressive |
|
|
|
| Blue johanni cichlid, Maingano |
Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Very active and entertaining fish, need many rock caves to allow establishment of territories. Aggressive |
|
|
|
| Pearl of Likoma |
Melanochromis joanjohnsonae |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Johanni cichlid |
Melanochromis johannii |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Aggressive |
|
|
|
| Aurora |
Melanochromis aurora |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
|
|
|
|
| Red zebra cichlid |
Metriaclima estherae |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Very active and entertaining fish, need many rock caves to allow establishment of territories |
|
|
|
| Cobalt blue cichlid, cobalt zebra cichlid |
Maylandia callainos |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Very active and entertaining fish, need many rock caves to allow establishment of territories |
|
|
|
| Kenyi cichlid |
Maylandia lombardoi |
|
13 cm (5.1 in) |
Mbuna |
Easy |
Aggressive; sexually dichromatic |
|
|
|
| Fusco |
Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus |
|
25 cm (9.8 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Livingston's cichlid |
Nimbochromis livingstonii |
|
25 cm (9.8 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kaligono |
Nimbochromis polystigma |
|
30 cm (12 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Venustus cichlid, giraffe cichild |
Nimbochromis venustus |
|
25 cm (9.8 in) |
|
Easy |
'giraffe' spotting is juvenile coloration only |
|
|
|
| Red empress cichlid |
Protomelas taeniolatus |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bumblebee cichlid, hornet cichlid |
Pseudotropheus crabro |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Yellow-tail acei |
Pseudotropheus acei |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Dwarf Mbuna |
Pseudotropheus demasoni |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saulosi |
Pseudotropheus saulosi |
|
7.5 cm (3.0 in) |
Mbuna |
|
|
|
|
|
| Malawi barracuda |
Rhampsochromis cf. macrophthalmus |
|
23 cm (9.1 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tyrannochromis macrostoma |
|
38 cm (15 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Common name |
Taxonomy |
Picture |
Size |
Tank Type |
Care Level |
Remarks |
Temp Range |
Acceptable pH |
Recommended water hardness |
|
Boulengerochromis microlepis |
|
90 cm (35 in) |
|
|
The largest cichlid |
|
|
|
| Frontosa cichild |
Cyphotilapia frontosa |
|
40 cm (16 in) |
|
|
Aggressive; well-known |
|
|
|
|
Cyathopharynx furcifer |
|
|
|
|
Not readily available in the aquarium trade. |
|
|
|
|
Variabilichromis moorii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Frontosa cichild |
Cyphotilapia gibberosa |
|
40 cm (16 in) |
|
|
The frontosa have recently been broken up into three separate species. The gibberosa come from the southern part of the Lake |
|
|
|
| Frontosa cichild |
Cyphotilapia sp. "North" |
|
40 cm (16 in) |
|
|
This yet to be officially named species is intermediate in scale count between gibberosa and frontosa. |
|
|
|
| Julie cichlid |
Julidochromis dickfeldi |
|
|
|
Easy |
Beautiful; interesting |
|
|
|
| Masked Julie |
Julidochromis marlieri |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) fem / 10 cm (3.9 in) male |
|
Easy |
Striking coloration |
|
|
|
| Julie cichlid |
Julidochromis ornatus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Julie cichlid |
Julidochromis regani |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) fem / 10 cm (3.9 in) male |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Julie cichlid |
Julidochromis transcriptus |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
|
Intermediate |
Striking coloration |
|
|
|
| Herring cichlid, Sardine cichlid |
Cyprichromis spp. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ectodus descampsii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chalinochromis spp. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neolamprologus multifasciatus |
|
3.8 cm (1.5 in) |
|
|
A small shell-dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. Distinguished from the similar L. similis by the lack of striping on the face |
|
|
|
|
Lamprologus ocellatus |
|
5 cm (2.0 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neolamprologus similis |
|
3.8 cm (1.5 in) |
|
|
A small shell-dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. Very similar to N. multifsciatus but similis has striping from the body continue to the head |
|
|
|
|
Lobochilotes labiatus |
|
40 cm (16 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lyretail cichlid, fairy cichlid |
Neolamprologus brichardi |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
|
Easy |
|
|
|
|
| Lemon cichlid |
Neolamprologus leleupi |
|
11.5 cm (4.5 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Featherfin |
Opthalmotilapia ventralis |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Petrochromis trewavasae |
|
20 cm (7.9 in) |
|
|
Aggressive |
|
|
|
|
Petrochromis sp. "Zaire Texas" |
|
18 cm (7.1 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Simochromis pleurospilus |
|
10 cm (3.9 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tropheus duboisi |
|
13 cm (5.1 in) |
|
Advanced |
Males very aggressive; juveniles distinctively colored |
|
|
|
|
Tropheus moorii |
|
14 cm (5.5 in) |
|
Easy |
|
|
|
|
|
Tropheus polli |
|
14 cm (5.5 in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Common name |
Taxonomy |
Picture |
Size |
Tank Type |
Care Level |
Remarks |
Temp Range |
Acceptable pH |
Recommended water hardness |
| Midas cichild, red devil cichlid |
Amphilophus citrinellus |
|
|
|
|
Note that Amphilophus labiatus is also called red devil cichild |
|
|
|
| Poor man's tropheus |
Hypsophrys nematopus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Red devil cichlid |
Amphilophus labiatus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Firemouth cichlid |
Cichlasoma meeki |
|
|
|
Easy |
Typically medium aggression; easily bred |
|
|
|
| Jack Dempsey cichlid |
Cichlasoma octofasciatum |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Jaguar cichlid, managuense cichlid |
Parachromis managuensis |
|
|
|
Easy |
Exceptionally beautiful adult coloration; large adult size |
|
|
|
| Mayan cichlid |
Cichlasoma urophthalmus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Convict cichlid |
Archocentrus nigrofasciatus |
|
|
|
Easy |
Common, very easy to breed, aggressive. A beautiful fish with bad temper. Small variations in colors, can be found in almost completely black and white coloration - therefore the name "Convict" |
|
|
|
| T-bar cichlid |
Cryptoheros sajica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Severum |
Heros severus |
|
|
|
Easy |
the gold variety is more common than the natural green one |
|
|
|
| Green terror |
Andinoacara rivulatus |
|
|
|
|
Fairly common |
|
|
|
| Blue acara |
Andinoacara pulcher |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thread-finned acara |
Acarichthys heckelii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Eartheater cichlid |
Geophagus altifrons |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Greenstreaked Eartheater,cupid cichlid |
Biotodoma cupido |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Keyhole cichlid |
Cleithracara maronii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Angelfish |
Pterophyllum scalare |
|
15 cm (5.9 in) |
|
Intermediate |
several color varieties; this species is the common angelfish in the aquarium trade. Angelfish can grow up to fifteen centimetres (six inches), and therefore should be housed in a large aquarium. Angelfish should be kept alone, or kept with three or more. This is because that if two are kept together, the larger fish will pick on the smaller fish. Angelfish are not as hardy as other cichlids and should not be kept with small fish such as neon tetras. However, just the opposite is true: Angelfish should not be kept with fish that may nip and annoy it such as some large tetras. |
|
|
|
| Altum angelfish |
Pterophyllum altum |
|
|
|
Difficult |
|
|
|
|
| Spotted angelfish |
Pterophyllum leopoldi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Common discus, red discus |
Symphysodon discus |
|
20 cm (7.9 in) |
|
Difficult |
various color varieties, the discus requires high water quality and a varied diet. Do not keep with fast fish as the discus is a slow eater and will not fight for food. Despite their beauty, the discus is one of the least hardy aquarium fishes available. This fish should only be kept by the experienced aquarium keeper. |
|
|
|
| Blue discus, green discus |
Symphysodon aequifasciatus |
|
20 cm (7.9 in) |
|
Difficult |
fancy hybrids of this species and Symphysodon discus can also be found in trade |
|
|
|
| Chocolate cichlid |
Hypselecara temporalis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Oscar |
Astronotus ocellatus |
|
45 cm (18 in) |
|
|
has different varieties including long-fin, albino, golden, etc. The oscar cichlid is fast growing and can grow to a very large size when mature, and therefore should be housed in a large aquarium. The oscar can be messy to look after as they love to dig up plants and scoop up rocks. The oscar should be put with fish of similar size as they will eat any fish that can fit in their mouth. The oscar prefers to be with members of its own species, but this is not a necessity for its well being. The oscar is one of the more hardy cichlids, and can be put with other large cichlids, pacus, large plecos, large sharks, and other large fish. |
|
|
|
| Uaru, waroo |
Uaru amphiacanthoides |
|
|
|
|
Also known as the Triangle Ciclid. |
|
|
|
| Peacock bass, butterfly peacock bass |
Cichla orinocensis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Texas cichlid, Rio Grande cichlid |
Herichthys cyanoguttatus |
|
|
|
Easy |
Large adult size |
|
|
|