Pearl of Likoma

About

Few Malawi cichlids have been shuffled between genera as often as this one, so it is worth setting out what is actually settled. Donald S. Johnson described it in 1974, in the magazine Today's Aquarist, as Labidochromis joanjohnsonae, and that is the name FishBase and the Catalogue of Life accept today. FishBase's synonym table runs to eight entries: the combinations Melanochromis joanjohnsonae and Pseudotropheus joanjohnsonae, the junior synonym Melanochromis exasperatus Burgess, 1976 with its own recombination Labidochromis exasperatus, and two names that were simply misapplied to this fish - Labidochromis caeruleus likomae and Labidochromis textilis. Michael K. Oliver, who has catalogued the lake's cichlids for decades, states the current position plainly on malawicichlids.com: 'In considering this much-confused species a member of the genus Labidochromis, I am following the recommendation of Konings & Stauffer (2012: 25).' Treat Labidochromis as accepted and everything else as a label you will still meet in shops - most often 'exasperatus', which is what Maidenhead Aquatics files it under. Where it lives is unusually specific. Wikipedia, citing Konings' Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat, says it is 'native to rocky areas around Likoma Island and it has been introduced to Thumbi West Island'; AquaInfo narrows the native range further to Likoma Island, Madimba Bay and Makulawe Point, and FishBase records the Thumbi West population as an introduction rather than a natural one. It stays small - 10 cm total length on FishBase, Wikipedia and Maidenhead, about 9 cm on AquaInfo - and it is one of the mbuna where both sexes carry colour: Wikipedia has males blue and females 'a greenish blue with rows of yellowish spots and shiny gills', and Maidenhead describes the female as 'a paler silvery-blue with rows of orange spots'. AquaInfo calls it very lively and not aggressive towards fish of its own size, and notes that in a tank not furnished like its habitat it can stay shy and spook easily; Maidenhead calls it 'fairly belligerent'. The truth is somewhere in between, and it depends almost entirely on whether the rockwork gives the females somewhere to be.

Care

A harem in a rock tank: one male with three or more females, because a single female with a male gets harassed and, Maidenhead Aquatics warns, possibly killed. AquaInfo asks for at least 250 litres and Maidenhead for a four-foot tank; we gate at 120 cm and 250 litres. Build the rockwork tall and stable so it forms crevices the fish can disappear into - both sources agree that a bare layout produces either a bully or a fish that hides - and use sand below it. Hard, alkaline water: pH 7.8-8.4, 10-25 dH, 24-26 C, with strong filtration and regular partial changes. Tank mates are other outgoing mbuna and larger utaka, as long as none of them shares its blue-with-spots pattern. Feed it as an omnivore: a good mbuna granule and flake, mysis, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae, plus spirulina and blanched greens to keep the vegetable share in the diet. Keep a lid on the tank. It is small, hardy and forgiving by mbuna standards, which makes it one of the easier ways into a Malawi rock tank.

Diet

Omnivorous with a leaning towards meaty foods. Mbuna granule and flake as the base, plus mysis, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae, and spirulina or blanched greens for the vegetable share. Small, frequent portions - rich protein in bulk is what triggers Malawi bloat.

Telling males from females

What works for this species, most reliable first.

• VentingStrong · only on a mature fish, easiest when she is in breeding condition

  The method breeders use when the answer has to be right. Hold the fish upside down in a wet hand or soft net and look at the two openings ahead of the anal fin. The forward one is the anus; the one behind it is what you are reading.

• Egg spotsA hint only · from about 6 months

  The yellow or orange ocelli on the anal fin of Malawi cichlids, traditionally explained as a lure that draws the female into mouthing them, fertilising the eggs she is already holding.

• Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age

  In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.

Also in these lists

Similar species

Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.

Health

Disease guide entries relevant to this species — worth a read before you reach for medicine.

Sold in Lithuania

These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.

These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What tank size does a Pearl of Likoma need?

A Pearl of Likoma needs an aquarium of at least 250 litres (66 US gallons) with a footprint at least 120 cm (47.2 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.

What water parameters does a Pearl of Likoma need?

Pearl of Likoma does best at 23–28 °C (73.4–82.4 °F), pH 7.2–8.6 and a general hardness of 10–25 °dGH.

What group size does a Pearl of Likoma need?

Pearl of Likoma is a social species — keep a group of at least 4 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.

Is the Pearl of Likoma suitable for beginners?

Pearl of Likoma sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.

Sources

• FishBase — Labidochromis joanjohnsonae Johnson, 1974 (Pearl of Likoma)
• The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malaŵi, Africa (M. K. Oliver) — Labidochromis joanjohnsonae
• Wikipedia — Pearl of Likoma
• Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics) — Exasperatus, Labidochromis joanjohnsonae
• AquaInfo — Labidochromis joanjohnsonae (Parel van Likoma)