Blue Dolphin Cichlid
Cyrtocara moorii
Cichlidae
About
The blue dolphin cichlid is a large, steel-blue mouthbrooding haplochromine endemic to the sandy shallows of Lake Malawi, named for the pronounced nuchal hump that males develop over the forehead. Reaching around 20-25 cm, it is notably calm for its size, following other diggers across open sand to feed on disturbed morsels. It is best kept as a harem of one male with several females in a spacious, hard-water tank.
Care
Give a large tank of 350 L or more with a long open footprint, soft sand and hard, alkaline water at pH 7.8-8.6. Keep one male with three or more females; peaceful for a hap but too big for small community fish.
Diet
Omnivorous sand-sifter leaning carnivorous; feed cichlid pellets with frequent frozen or live meaty foods. Sand lets it forage naturally as it does in the lake.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (8)
Possible with care (99)
Avoid (14)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.