TankMatesTankMates
Sign in
Encyclopedia / African Cichlids / Zebra mbuna
★New · no ratings yetIllustration

Variations

5 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Zebra mbuna

Maylandia zebra · Zebra cichlid, Metriaclima zebra, Maylandia zebra

Active and territorial, but standard for a mbuna community tank.

Local price coming soon
· real AED shop prices, never conversions
13 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
7.8–8.6pH ✓
200 LSmallest tank ✓
Add to my tankCompare
Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Zebra mbuna is aggressive and will bully peaceful neon tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like zebra mbuna need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Zebra mbuna is aggressive and will bully peaceful cardinal tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like zebra mbuna need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
Not recommended
  • Zebra mbuna is aggressive and will bully peaceful black neon tetra.
  • Rift lake cichlids like zebra mbuna need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like zebra mbuna need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.8–8.6 vs 5.5–7.5). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like zebra mbuna need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: 7.8–8.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

59 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 ✓Aggressive
Swims at ?All levels
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Active and territorial, but standard for a mbuna community tank.

  • cave

Food

Quality spirulina-based cichlid pellets and flake once or twice a day; keep protein low and add vegetable matter such as spirulina and blanched greens.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Fully mature males are larger than females and the dominant male has the most vivid colours.

Health

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

Breeding

Maternal mouthbrooder (harem) · Moderate

A maternal mouthbrooder kept as a harem of one male and at least 3 females; the female carries the eggs for 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

Broods are small, usually 10-15 eggs (FishBase: up to 60), carried for 3-4 weeks.

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 (rocky coasts, especially the north)
HabitatRocky shoreline
Native rangeAbout 300 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the zebra mbuna

The original 'zebra' mbuna of Lake Malawi, described by Boulenger in 1899. It lives in rocky zones around shores, reefs and islands, combing algae and debris from rocks and picking plankton from open water.

Boulenger described the zebra mbuna in 1899, originally in another genus. It has become a classic study animal for evolution, as its relatives show enormous colour variation. Its genome was among the first cichlid genomes sequenced.

First described by George A. Boulenger in 1899.

  • The classic form has a blue body with dark vertical bars.
  • It is one of the best-studied fish for research on how new species form.
  • It is a maternal mouthbrooder that grazes algae on rocks.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources