All fish / Cichlidae

Longior Mbuna

Chindongo longior

Also known as pseudotropheus longior, chindongo longior, longior cichlid, pseudotropheus sp. elongatus mbamba, pseudotropheus elongatus mbamba bay

No free-to-use photo of this fish yet. Took one yourself? Send it to us and we will credit you.

This slim mbuna comes from the rocky shallows around Mbamba Bay on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi. Males have blue bodies with dark vertical bars, and keepers buy it for its strong colour and lively behaviour in a rock-filled Malawi tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

8.5 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

7.6 to 8.6

Smallest tank

250 litres

Keep as

One male with 3 or more females, in a crowded mbuna community

Diet

Herbivore: spirulina flakes and pellets, vegetable-based foods, occasional small crustaceans

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Malawi, Tanzania (Mbamba Bay area)

Breeding

Females brood the eggs and fry in their mouths for about three weeks. It breeds readily in a well-fed group with plenty of rockwork, and the female can be moved to a separate tank before she releases the fry.

Good to know

Males are territorial and can be very aggressive towards similar-looking, barred mbuna, so overstock with unlike species and avoid protein-rich diets that can cause bloat. Taxonomic databases still list it under Pseudotropheus as well as Chindongo.