1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Territorial; best in a crowded tank with other Victoria cichlids and hardy peacocks.
76 species in our list are a good match.
Territorial; best in a crowded tank with other Victoria cichlids and hardy peacocks.
Cichlid pellets and flakes with frozen brine shrimp.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males grow larger and are much more colourful than females.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Maternal mouthbrooder (harem) · Moderate
Maternal mouthbrooder; the female carries the eggs for around 3 weeks.
One male with 3-5 females in a sandy tank; males defend a cave or a cleared sand patch.
200-300 L tank with sand, caves and flat stones, hard alkaline water (pH 7.8-8.5), strong filtration and a moderate group of females.
Good condition on varied protein foods, warm stable water and a dominant male displaying at a sand scrape or cave.
The female holds the eggs for around 3 weeks. No egg count found in the sources checked.
The female releases fry after 3-4 weeks. Feed crushed flake and newly hatched brine shrimp; fry grow steadily in clean, warm water.
A small Lake Victoria cichlid, described in 1985 from the Mwanza Gulf, Tanzania. It lives mostly around rocky islands in the south of the lake; several island populations, such as Makobe Island, are kept in the hobby. Males are aggressive and much more colourful than females.
Dutch biologists Els Witte-Maas and Frans Witte described this fish in 1985, originally in Haplochromis. The Makobe Island form is a classic in scientific research on how colour and mate choice create new species. Many of Lake Victoria's cichlids declined sharply after the introduction of Nile perch.
First described by Els Witte-Maas & Frans Witte in 1985. Named for Named after Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania.
15 facts checked with sources
Catalog of Fishes treats it as Pundamilia nyererei (Witte-Maas & Witte, 1985), originally described as Haplochromis nyererei. FishBase still lists it under Haplochromis nyererei, so both names are in use; Seriously Fish uses Pundamilia and says the genus's taxonomy 'is not fully-resolved'. Following the brief (Catalog of Fishes for taxonomy), Pundamilia nyererei is kept. Hobby names: 'Makobe', 'Victoria red'. Several island populations are traded under the same name and should not be mixed.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Haplochromis nyererei · FishBase: Haplochromis nyererei summaryLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded.
FishBase: Haplochromis nyererei summaryBoth sources give standard length (SL): Seriously Fish 8 cm SL, FishBase 7.7 cm SL. Total length would be roughly 10 cm; the legacy 12 cm is too large.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyererei · FishBase: Haplochromis nyererei summaryExact match with Seriously Fish.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyererei · FishBase: Haplochromis nyererei summaryLegacy 7.5-8.5 lies inside Seriously Fish's 7.0-8.5. Lake Victoria water is softer than Malawi or Tanganyika water.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish value recorded.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiSeriously Fish gives a 120 x 45 cm base as the smallest to consider; at 45 cm height: 120 x 45 x 45 = 243,000 cm³ = 243 L. Legacy 200 L is a little small.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiNo minimum number given: several females per male, with plenty of cover because males can kill other males.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiSeriously Fish describes males as aggressive, not semi-aggressive. The legacy advice to mix it with Malawi peacocks risks hybrids and is not supported by these sources.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiBenthopelagic around shallow rocks (1-4 m).
FishBase: Haplochromis nyererei summaryLegacy has no range field. IUCN Least Concern (assessed 1 April 2010, per FishBase).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Haplochromis nyererei · Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiColourful males vs plain females agrees; the exact colour description (blue sides) was not confirmed in the sources checked.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyerereiHolding time verified; the '20-50 eggs' figure is unsourced and removed.
Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyererei'Small' and 'Lake Victoria' are supported. The colour description ('red on the back with blue bars') was not confirmed by the sources checked and is left out.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Haplochromis nyererei · Seriously Fish: Pundamilia nyererei