Cichlids · Maylandia
Red zebra
Maylandia estherae · Lake Malawi: Mozambique/Malawi east coast, Metangula and Minos Reef to Gome
Photo: Maha Dinesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
Water temperature
24–28 °C 75–82 °F
pH
7.6–8.8 hard, alkaline water
Adult size
13.5 cm 5.3 in
Swims ≈
Mid-water mostly in open water
Keep together ≈
4 or more a shoal feels safe
Current ≈
Gentle a steady gentle flow
Food
Greens and algae
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Where it comes from
Home water
Lake Malawi: Mozambique/Malawi east coast, Metangula and Minos Reef to Gome
Lives in lake habitat.
Shaded: the countries it comes from. Map: Natural Earth.
Tank mates
Checked against a roomy 300 L planted tank with moderate flow and plenty of caves. Your own tank may change the answer: try it in Your tanks.
Good together
-
Candy stripe L015
Plecos · 10 cm · bottom -
Zebra L046
Plecos · 8 cm · bottom -
Amano shrimp
Shrimp & snails · 5 cm · bottom -
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Rainbowfish · 10 cm · mid-water -
Bolivian ram
Cichlids · 8 cm · bottom -
Bronze corydoras
Corydoras · 7 cm · bottom -
Cardinal tetra
Tetras · 4 cm · mid-water -
Celestial pearl danio
Rasboras & danios · 2.5 cm · mid-water
Keep apart
-
Need a different pH and small enough to be eaten
Cardinal tetraCelestial pearl danioChili rasboraEmber tetraGerman blue ram
-
Small enough to be eaten
-
Aggressive and will eat the red zebra
In the hobby
Where to find it
No store or breeder we know of has it right now.
Run a store? List the fish you usually have. Breed fish? List your fry.
Tanks with this fish
No shared tanks have this fish yet. Share yours from Your tanks.
From keepers
Notes appear here when a keeper shares a tank with this fish and writes about it.
Questions keepers ask
How big does a Red zebra get?
About 13.5 cm (5.3 in) as an adult.
What temperature does a Red zebra need?
24–28 °C (75–82 °F).
What pH does a Red zebra need?
pH 7.6–8.8.
Does a Red zebra need to be kept in a group?
Yes. Keep at least 4.
Is the Red zebra aggressive?
It can be. It is semi-aggressive, so choose tank mates carefully.
What does a Red zebra eat?
Feed mostly vegetables, algae wafers and greens.
Where does the Red zebra come from?
Lake Malawi: Mozambique/Malawi east coast, Metangula and Minos Reef to Gome.
What fish can live with a Red zebra?
Good tank mates include Candy stripe (L015), Zebra (L046), Amano shrimp, Boeseman's rainbowfish, Bolivian ram.
All the numbers
| Temperature min (°C) | 24 | Sourced |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature max (°C) | 28 | Sourced |
| pH min | 7.6 | Sourced |
| pH max | 8.8 | Sourced |
| Adult size (cm) | 13.5 | Sourced |
| Flow | Moderate | Estimate |
| Swim level (top / middle / bottom) | middle | Estimate |
| Habitat | lake | Sourced |
| Smallest happy group | 4 | Estimate |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Sourced |
| Diet | Herbivore | Sourced |
| Behaviour tags | eats_small_fish,hard_water | Estimate |
Some values are estimates from typical hobby ranges and haven't been checked against a source yet.
