Above: In this picture a young premium quality Socolofi Mbuna Cichlid is swimming in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture.

Comments: These are fabulous fish with vibrant blue coloration.

Origin: Socolofi Cichlids are Mbunas, which is a large family of Cichlid fish that originally lived only in Lake Malawi in East Africa.

But now they live in aquariums all over the world. There are several species of Mbunas for sale in this store.

Maximum Size: In aquariums Socolofi Cichlids males an grow to be about 5" long and females to be about 4.5" long, including their tails, which is a very nice size for aquariums.

Rarely, an old Socolofi male can grow to be even longer than 5".

Behaviors: Socolofi Cichlids are Mbunas and all Mbunas are aggressive fish, and from time to time males have long energetic battles.

But Socolofi are less aggressive than most Mbunas, and so they are one of the best Mbunas for aquariums.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, other mild tempered Mbuna species like the Red Zebra and Electric Yellow, plus Synodontis Catfish.

Click here for more about Synodontis Catfish.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Mbunas live best from about 75 to 80-degrees F. with 78 being perhaps ideal.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Pellets is the best food for all Mbunas. Smaller sized pellets when young and small, and larger sized pellets when older and bigger.

Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.

Water Conditions: Lake Malawi has hard alkaline water and that's best for all the fish, whose ancestors lived there.

But these fish can adapt to most types of water, and so as usual it's best not to try to change the pH or alkalinity.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: Mbunas, like these Socolofi, will eventually need to live in an aquarium with at least 80-gallons of water.

Each Mbuna will need at least 5-gallons of water, and Mbunas live best in an aquarium with at least 15 other Mbunas of about the same size.

Even better is a bigger aquarium with more Mbunas.

Decor: Mbunas do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, but Mbunas will usually dig plants up, so most Mbuna aquariums do not have live plants.

Mbunas love rocks and rocky caves.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. Most 80-gallon aquariums have room along the back for two Penguin 350B Filters, and this is sort of a minimal Mbuna set up.

Better is a 120, 150, or 200-gallon aquarium with as many Penguin 350B Filters as will fit across the back.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range.

Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Mbunas can live for several years. Keep the water conditions excellent and feed them premium foods, and they will most likely breed and produce the next generation of fish for your aquarium.

Gender: It's difficult to tell males from females, when they're very small, but easy when they're mature, because the males change color and become a very vibrant blue, while the female usually stays a duller blue.

Breeding: Socolofi and all the other Mbunas are mouthbrooders. A female lays eggs, a male fertilizes the eggs, and the female picks up the eggs in her mouth.

She'll brood them for about 3-weeks, then release them in the aquarium. They are miniature versions of their mother and very cute!

Click here to read more about breeding mouthbrooders. the aquarium.

Click here for a lot more about breeding various tropical fish in aquariums.

Popularity: For many years Socolofi and other Mbunas from Lake Malawi have been very popular fish.

Names: The scientific name for Socolofi is Chindongo socolofi.

Variations: There is a variation with a black horizontal line through the top fin and a variation without this line. There is also an albino variation.

Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Mbunas, including a picture gallery.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.

DrT - 01/31/2015