All fish / Cichlidae

Fuscoides Mbuna

Pseudotropheus fuscoides

Also known as pseudotropheus fuscoides, fuscoides cichlid, fuscoides, pseudotropheus sp. fuscoides

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This is a fairly small rock-dwelling mbuna from Lake Malawi. Males are bluish with dark vertical bars, and females are drabber and brownish. It is kept by Malawi enthusiasts who want a less common Pseudotropheus for a rocky biotope tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.5

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

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

Diet

Omnivore: mainly plant-based foods such as spirulina flakes and pellets, with some small crustaceans

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

6 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania)

Breeding

It is a maternal mouthbrooder. The female carries the eggs and fry in her mouth for about three weeks. Breeding in captivity is straightforward if the water is hard and alkaline and there are enough females.

Good to know

Males are territorial and should be kept in a well-stocked tank with lots of rockwork so aggression is spread out. Do not mix it with similar barred mbuna, because they may hybridise. Feed it a low-protein diet to avoid Malawi bloat.