African Cichlid – Parallelus Cichlid (Melanochromis parallelus) 5cm

The Parallelus Cichlid comes from Lake Malawi in the East African Rift Valley. They can be found in rocky areas of the water off the northwestern coast of the lake.There  natural habitat consists of shallow rocky shoreline flats, with highly oxygenated waters and an abundance of small rock caves and crevices.

The females and juveniles will be white with black stripes and hints of yellow here and there. The male juveniles will darken as they mature. They take on a black color with dark blue stripes.

In the wild the Parallelus feeds on plankton and algae. In your aquarium they will accept a variety of prepared and live foods. Spirulina flakes or pellets should be incorporated into their diet.

The Parallelus is a mouthbrooding cichlid. In order to breed these fish there should be at least 3 or 4 females for each male. There should also be multiple caves for the male to choose from. The female will keep her fertilised eggs incubated in her mouth. She will release her fry when they are free swimming and ready to fend for themselves. This usually takes up to 25 days. The female can carry up to 50 young in her mouth at one time.

• Species – Melanochromis parallelus
• Common Name – Parallelus
• 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