Exasperatus is an african cichlid from Lake Malawi, Africa where it is native to rocky areas around Likoma Island. Exasperatus can reach a length of 10cm. The species name Melanochromis joanjohnsonae honours Joan Johnson who was editor of The Aquarist magazine in which the description of this fish was published.
Males are blue, while females are a greenish blue with rows of yellowish spots and shiny gills. They feed on crustaceans, insects, and larvae. Feed a balanced diet with some protein rich and veggie foods.
Exasperatus are easy to care for as long as you can manage aggression. Males are intolerant of other males and can harass females to quite an extent. Make sure the tank is large if you want to keep a group of 5 or more. A tank of 300 litres is adequate for this task. Also, make sure there are lots of rocks in the tank. This fish mixes well with other aggressive mbuna and larger Malawi Haps.
This fish was not very hard to spawn. The problem is keeping females alive to spawn because of aggression stated above. The fish breed like most mbuna, so nothing unusual.
The females hold about 2 weeks and the fry are small. Rear the fry with baby brine shrimp and later flake food.
The fry are relatively fast growing and colorful, which is nice.
- Species – Melanochromis joanjohnsonae
- Common Name – Exasperatus
- Origin – Lake Malawi
- Diet – Omnivore
- PH Range – Alkaline 7.5 – 8.5
- Water Type – Hard
- Temperature – Tropical 24°c
- Breed Type – Mouth brooder
- Current Size – approximately 5cm (Grows to approximately 12cm)
- Sex – Un-sexed
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