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Practical articles for keeping your African cichlids better.
November 2, 2026Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii): care, hump and calm temperament
Lake Malawi's humped blue cichlid: how big it gets, what tank and food it needs, how to sex it and why it is one of the most peaceful large cichlids.
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November 2, 2026Venustus (Nimbochromis venustus): care, size and tank mates
Lake Malawi's giraffe cichlid: how big it gets, what tank it needs, what it eats, how to tell male from female and which fish can live with it without being eaten.
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November 1, 2026Benga peacock (Aulonocara baenschi): care, colors and tank mates
The yellow peacock with a blue face: size, tank, diet, male and female differences, and how to build a calm peacock tank.
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November 1, 2026Chipokae (Melanochromis chipokae): care and how to handle its temperament
One of the most beautiful and most aggressive mbuna: male and female colors, tank, diet, sex ratio and which fish it can live with.
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October 31, 2026Electric Yellow (Labidochromis caeruleus): care, temperament and tank mates
The calmest mbuna and one of the best for beginners: size, tank, water, diet, how to tell males from females, and which fish it lives with.
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October 31, 2026Red Zebra (Maylandia estherae): care, colors and temperament
The most popular orange mbuna: its color variants (orange, pink and OB), how to tell males from females, tank, diet and which fish to combine it with.
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October 30, 2026Why is my African cichlid losing color or hiding?
A pale or hiding cichlid is telling you something: a new fish, dominance, poor water quality, a female holding eggs or disease. How to find the cause and what to do.
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October 30, 2026Auratus (Melanochromis auratus): care, temperament and tank mates
What the Auratus is like, why the male changes color, the tank it needs, how to feed it and which African cichlids it lives with peacefully.
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October 30, 2026Compatible African cichlids: which fish to mix and which to avoid
Rules for combining African cichlids without fights: mbuna with mbuna, peacocks apart, different colors, sex ratios and which other fish can live with them.
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October 30, 2026How to breed African cichlids: mouthbrooders step by step
From courtship to fry: how Malawi cichlids breed, how to tell a female is holding eggs, what to do with her and how to raise the fry.
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October 30, 2026Malawi bloat in African cichlids: symptoms, causes and what to do
Bloat is the most feared disease in mbuna. How to spot it early, why it happens, how to act and, above all, how to prevent it with the right diet.
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October 30, 2026Mbuna vs. peacock cichlids (Aulonocara): differences and which to choose
Mbuna and peacocks are the two big groups of Malawi cichlids. How they differ in temperament, diet, colors and tank setup, and which suits a beginner.
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October 29, 2026African cichlid tank setup: size, rocks and how many fish
What size tank African cichlids need, how to set up the rocks and sand, which filter to use and how many fish fit without fights.
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October 29, 2026African cichlids in Costa Rica: a beginner's guide
What African cichlids are, how mbuna and peacocks differ, what tank they need and how to choose your first fish in Costa Rica.
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October 29, 2026Costa Rica tap water for African cichlids: how to prepare it
Tap water from AyA, local ASADAS or wells varies a lot by area. How to test it, remove chlorine and harden it for Malawi cichlids at every water change.
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October 29, 2026How to tell if an African cichlid is male or female
Color, egg spots on the anal fin, size, fins, behavior and venting: the signs for sexing mbuna and peacocks, and which ones fool you.
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October 27, 2026Hard, alkaline water for Malawi cichlids: how to get it and keep it
What pH, KH and GH mean, how to test your tap water, and how to give mbuna and peacocks the stable water they need, without miracle chemicals.
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October 26, 2026New fish: quarantine and acclimation step by step
How to bring new cichlids home without putting your tank at risk: what to check when buying, how to acclimate them and why a quarantine tank is worth it.
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October 25, 2026What mbuna and peacocks eat (and why it isn't the same)
Mbuna that scrape algae and peacocks that hunt invertebrates in the sand: how to feed each group, how much and what to avoid.
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