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Encyclopedia / African Cichlids / Yellow-tail acei
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Variations

3 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Yellow-tail acei

Pseudotropheus sp. 'acei' · Pseudotropheus acei, Acei, Yellow tail acei, Ngara acei, Yellowtail acei

More peaceful than most mbuna; avoid housing with bullies.

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15 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
7.8–8.6pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Yellow-tail acei is tropical.
  • Rift lake cichlids like yellow-tail acei need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 10–22 °C). No setting suits both.
  • Rift lake cichlids like yellow-tail acei need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • They need very different water (pH 7.8–8.6 vs 5–6).
  • Rift lake cichlids like yellow-tail acei need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like yellow-tail acei need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like yellow-tail acei need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.8–8.6 vs 4.5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

74 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓10–25 dGH
Group size ✓4 or more
Temperament ✓Semi-aggressive
Swims at ✓Top
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

More peaceful than most mbuna; avoid housing with bullies. A good mbuna for a mixed Malawi community.

  • cave

Food

Spirulina flake and algae-based pellets; occasional frozen foods such as daphnia.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Hard to sex: both sexes share similar colours and anal-fin egg spots. Males tend to grow larger and are more brightly coloured; behaviour is the easiest guide.

Health

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

Breeding

Maternal mouthbrooder (harem) · Moderate

A maternal mouthbrooder. Keep a harem of one male and at least three females; the female carries the eggs for about 3-4 weeks.

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 carries the eggs for about 3-4 weeks. No reliably sourced egg or fry 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
Rivers and lakesLake Malawi (several shores, e.g. Ngara in the north)
HabitatSandy areas near sunken wood and reeds
Native rangeAbout 300 km across
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The story of the yellow-tail acei

An unusually calm, elegant mbuna from the western shore of Lake Malawi, known for its yellow tail. It has never been formally described, so it is still called Pseudotropheus sp. 'acei', and it tends to swim in the upper half of the tank.

This elegant mbuna is unusual because in the wild it often feeds on algae growing on sunken logs and reeds rather than rocks. Several forms exist, and the yellow-tailed form is the best known in aquariums. It often swims in loose groups.

First described by Regan in 1922.

  • It grazes algae from submerged wood, not just from rocks like most mbuna.
  • Forms with yellow tails and with white tails come from different parts of the lake.
  • It tends to be calmer than most other mbuna.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources