Popularity: Red Zebras and other Mbunas from Lake Malawi are very popular fish. the aquarium.Ĭlick here for a lot more about breeding various tropical fish in aquariums. They are miniature versions of their mother and very cute!Ĭlick here to read more about breeding mouthbrooders. She'll brood her eggs for about 3-weeks, then release them in the aquarium. Gender: It's difficult to tell males from females, when they're very small, but easy when they're mature, because the males have more eggs spots that bigger than the few eggs spots that females have.īreeding: Red Zebras and all Mbunas are mouthbrooders.Ī female lays eggs, a male fertilizes the eggs, and the female picks up the eggs in her mouth. Keep the water conditions excellent and feed them premium foods, and they'll most likely breed to produce the next generation of fish for your aquarium. Life Span: Mbunas can live for several years. The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range.Ĭlick here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums. Most 80-gallon aquariums have room along the back for at least two Penguin 350B Filters, and this is sort of a minimal Mbuna set up.īetter is a 120, 150, or 200-gallon aquarium with as many Penguin 350B Filters as will fit across the back.Ĭlick here to learn more about aquarium filters. Live plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, but Mbunas will usually dig plants up, so most Mbuna aquariums do not have live plants,Īquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. Water Conditions: Lake Malawi has hard alkaline water, which is best for all the fish, whose ancestors lived there.īut these fish can adapt to most types of water, and so as usual it's best not to try to change the pH or alkalinity.Ĭlick here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.Īquarium Size: Mbunas, like this Red Zebra, will eventually need to live in an aquarium with at least 80-gallons of water.Įach Mbuna will need at least 5-gallons of water, and Mbunas live best in an aquarium with at least 15-other Mbunas of about the same size.ĭecor: Mbunas do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4' thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.Ĭlick here for more about aquarium gravel. Smaller sized pellets when the fish are small and young, and bigger pellets when the fish grow to be bigger, is the ideal food for these fish.Ĭlick here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods. with 78 being perhaps ideal.Ĭlick here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.įeeding: Premium Fish Food Pellets is best to feed to Mbunas.

Temperature: Mbunas live best from about 75 to 80-degrees F. Rarely, a Red Zebra can grow even longer.īehaviors: Red Zebras are usually aggressive fish and from time to time males have long energetic fights.Ĭompatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, other Mbuna species and Synodontis Catfish.Ĭlick here for more about Synodontis Catfish.Ĭlick here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish. Maximum Size: In aquariums a Red Zebra males can grow to be about 5.5' long, and females grow to about 4.5' long, including their tails, which is a very nice size for aquariums. There are several species of Mbunas for sale in this store.

Origin: Red Zebras are Mbunas, which is a large family of Cichlid fish that originally lived only in Lake Malawi in East Africa.īut now they live in aquariums all over the world. Ĭomments: These are fabulous fish with vibrant colors. Including vegetable supplements to their diet will help with overall health.Above: In the picture a young premium quality Red Zebra is swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture. An all-purpose, high quality cichlid formula can be used as a basic diet.

Their diet should consist of vegetable matter. Males Zebras will be highly aggressive towards their own species therefore keep one male Zebra to a tank with several females in order to prevent the latter from being harassed.įeeding – This cichlid is an omnivore. It is best to crowd the tank to reduce aggression and the formation of territories. Tanks Mates and Compatibility – Must be kept in semi-aggressive Mbuna Cichlid set ups only. The more rocks and hiding places they have the better. Special Requirements - All African Cichlids are territorial to other males. They are very hardy and aggressive enough to be kept with most other Mbuna. They are some of the most popular rock dwelling Mbunas. Zebra is a Mbuna Cichlid from Lake Malawi and comes in a number of differing colour morphs.

Red zebra cichlid size