Moorii cichlid

Tropheus moorii

Family : Cichlidae

FishFreshwatercichlids

The Moorii cichlid is a herbivorous cichlid renowned for its bright colors and territorial behavior. It is highly prized by advanced aquarists.

Moorii cichlid — photo 1 sur 4 — No machine-readable author provided. Nelson.oliveira~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain1 / 4

Popularity

Biotope specialist

requires biotope recreation

Availability

Specialty only

Shop availability

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Biotope

Lake Tanganyika

Lac africain, eau dure, cichlidés Tropheus, Cyprichromis.

Description

Tropheus moorii has a stocky, robust body, with coloration varying by location: yellow, orange, red, or black with bands. Males are larger and more colorful. It reaches up to 14 cm. It is very aggressive towards conspecifics, especially males. It is a mouthbrooder. Its diet is strictly herbivorous.

Habitat

Region :

Tropheus moorii lives in rocky areas of Lake Tanganyika, where it grazes algae on rocks. It is found between 2 and 20 meters deep. The water is alkaline and very hard.

Distribution :

Recommended parameters

Temperature24–27 °C

pH7.8–8.5

GH12–20 °dGH

KH10–18 °dKH

NO₃

≤ 15 mg/L

PO₄

≤ 0.3 mg/L

Care

Difficulty

4/5

Diet

Herbivore

Min. tank

300 L

Min. group

Adult size

14 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Temperament

Aggressive

Propagation

Incubateur buccal. La femelle garde les œufs dans sa bouche pendant 4 semaines. Reproduction délicate en raison de l'agressivité.

Care notes

Aquarium of at least 300 L with plenty of rocks and open swimming space. Alkaline water (pH 7.8-8.5), very hard (GH 12-20), temperature 24-27°C. Strictly vegetarian diet: spirulina, spinach, algae. Never feed animal proteins. Keep a group of at least 10 to dilute aggression, with a ratio of several females per male. Regular water changes are important.

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