Taiwan Reef Cichlid

About

The Taiwan Reef is a spectacular haplochromine cichlid from the rocky reefs of Lake Malawi, named for the Taiwanee Reef locality where it is found. Dominant males glow electric blue across the body with a bold yellow-to-orange band along the back, while females and subdominant males stay a plainer silver. Relatively peaceful for a mbuna-adjacent hap, it is nonetheless a territorial fish whose males will spar, so it is best kept as a harem of one male with several females in a spacious, hard-water tank.

Care

House a harem of one male and three or more females in a tank of 300 L or more with a 120 cm footprint, sand substrate and open rockwork. Keep hard, alkaline Malawi water at pH 7.8-8.4 with brisk flow and strong filtration, and cover the tank securely.

Diet

Vegetable-leaning omnivore that grazes aufwuchs and small invertebrates. Feed a spirulina-rich cichlid pellet as the staple with occasional frozen foods; avoid rich, fatty proteins and overfeeding to prevent bloat.

Sources

• Fish Laboratory — Taiwan Reef Cichlid (Protomelas sp. Steveni Taiwan) Care Guide
• Pet Zone Tropical Fish — Taiwan Reef Cichlid