Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blunthead cichlid
Tropheus moorii
14.5 cm
Adult size
300 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
8 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Tropheus
- Diet
- herbivore, algae eater
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
Despite its popularity, this grazing cichlid, with countless colour forms depending on the locality, is a puzzle in the hobby and not suited to beginners: the best way to keep it is still debated. Females brood the eggs in their mouths. It is listed as near threatened.
- Scientific name
- Tropheus moorii Boulenger, 1898
- Classification
- Cichliformes › Cichlidae
- IUCN Red List
- Near threatened (NT)
Natural habitat
Endemic to Lake Tanganyika (Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in shallow water along rocky shores, where it grazes algae from the rocks. Adults are solitary.
Behaviour
Its reputation for aggression is exaggerated: it is fairly peaceful with other species but quarrels with its own kind, hence a large tank and many females per male. Very active, it should not live with shy species; it goes with Julidochromis, Eretmodus or Tanganicodus. Plant matter (spirulina, spinach, nori) should form the basis of its diet; never meat.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth