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Encyclopedia / African Cichlids / Hongi cichlid
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Variations

2 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Hongi cichlid

Labidochromis sp. 'Hongi' · Labidochromis hongi, Kimpuma, Hongi, Red top kimpuma

More peaceful than many mbuna; can live with yellow labs and other calm mbuna.

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12 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Hongi cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful neon tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like hongi cichlid need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Hongi cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful cardinal tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like hongi cichlid need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Hongi cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful black neon tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like hongi cichlid need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ✓3 or more
Temperament ✓Aggressive
Swims at ?All levels
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

More peaceful than many mbuna; can live with yellow labs and other calm mbuna.

  • cave

Food

Cichlid pellets and flakes with occasional frozen brine shrimp or mysis.

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Male or female

Dominant males are brighter, with egg spots on the anal fin and partial egg spots on the dorsal, and are about an inch larger. Females and subordinate males are drab brownish purple to pale lilac.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Maternal mouthbrooder (harem) · Moderate

Maternal mouthbrooder without pair bonds; the male leads a female to a crevice or cave and she holds the eggs for about 18-28 days.

Pairing

Keep one male with 3-5 females; a lone female is harassed to exhaustion and two males will fight.

Setup

150-250 L rockwork tank with many caves, hard alkaline water (pH 7.8-8.6) and strong filtration. Keep a bare 60 L tank handy to move a holding female.

What starts it

Stable warm water (26-28 C), regular water changes and a good male-to-female ratio; the male displays and leads a female to a flat rock or cave.

Eggs

The female holds the eggs for about 18-28 days. No sourced egg count found.

Raising the fry

The female releases free-swimming fry after 3-4 weeks. Feed finely crushed flake, spirulina powder and newly hatched brine shrimp from day one; do small daily water changes. Remove the female after release so she can recover.

Common mistakes
  • Too few females so the male harasses them
  • Mixing similar-looking mbuna that hybridise
  • Soft or acidic water
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionLake Malawi – Tanzanian shore
Rivers and lakesLake Malawi (Hongi Island area, Tanzania)
HabitatRocky reefs
Native rangeAbout 30 km across
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The story of the hongi cichlid

An undescribed Labidochromis from the Tanzanian coast of Lake Malawi, named in the trade after Hongi Island. Dominant males are blue with an orange-red back ('red top'). In the wild it feeds by grazing the rocks; it is not mainly an insect eater.

This fish is still traded as Labidochromis sp. 'Hongi' because it has not been formally described. It comes from the Tanzanian coast of Lake Malawi and is also sold under the locality name Kimpuma. Its blue body and orange back made it a popular newer mbuna.

  • Males show a blue body with an orange-red back and dorsal fin.
  • Females are usually duller, often brownish-orange.
  • Like other Labidochromis, it picks small invertebrates off rocks.

Sources

11 facts checked with sources