Kenyi Cichlid
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
An easily bred African cichlid from Lake Malawi. Males mature into a full yellow color. JJPhoto.dk
Overview
A good choice for would-be Lake Malawi cichlid breeders. A single male and group of three or more females will almost certainly reproduce if given a 50-gallon (189 L) tank aquascaped with a profusion of rocks and caves.
Family: Cichlidae
Other common name(s):
Native range:
Habitat: Lives amidst rocks with many nooks, crannies, crevices, and caves. A substrate of coral gravel or laterite will help keep the water hard.
Maximum length: 8.7 cm (3 in)
Minimum aquarium size: 189 L (50 gal)
Water: Freshwater 22 °C (72 °F) - 28 °C (82 °F)
General swimming level: Bottom to midwater.
Feeding
Omnivore. Feed a diet heavy in vegetable matter, including Spirulina, leaf lettuce, dried seaweed, and herbivore rations. Supplement with meaty foods such as enriched brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, live black worms, freeze-dried insects and crustaceans.
Aquarium Compatibility
Very aggressive. Keep with other Lake Malawi cichlids or in a species tank. Synodontis spp. catfishes may also work as compatible tankmates.
Special Care
Needs typical African cichlid water: pH 7.8–8.5, hardness 10–20 KH.
Breeding/Propagation
Spawn in caves, with the female gathering up the fertile eggs and incubating them in her mouth for about 3 weeks. After hatching, the fry continue to seek shelter in her mouth for another week. Fry can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii) and very finely powdered dry food.