Emperor cichlid red albino - Aulonocara sp. "Fire Fish Albino

The Red Albino Emperor Cichlid, also known as the Aulonocara Fire Fish Albino, is a popular rooted cichlid in East African Lake Malawi, where it is found primarily in rock structures.  In this case, the Fire Fish is a hybrid created by crossing Aulonocara and Maylandia. With its eye-catching pretty color it is very eye-catching in the aquarium and thanks to its quite peaceful character it is also quite easy to keep.

The slight high back is typical for the Red Emperor Cichlid, as well as the narrow flanks, which look almost compressed. The most striking feature is probably the red eye, which is typical for albinos. The sloping forehead ends in an underslung  mouth with bright thick lips. In base color, the Albino Fire Fish is red orange, and the fins also appear transparent orange, with light blue to turquoise fin seams in places. The long dorsal fin is pointed in males, as is their anal fin, and the fin rays of the pelvic fin are elongated. Females have more rounded fins. They grow quite large with a final size of almost 18 centimeters .

These mouthbrooders can also be propagated in the aquarium. Keeping them in a harem with a surplus of females is advantageous. To get the fish in the mood, feed them well with larger frozen foods and raise the temperature to 27 °C. The female lays her eggs and collects them with her mouth. The male presents his egg spot on the anal fin to her. When she snaps at it in an attempt to collect it, he simultaneously fertilizes the eggs in her mouth. For about three weeks she incubates them in her mouth and also takes care of the larvae afterwards. After the young have swum free, they can be fed with fine live and frozen food such as freshly hatched Artemia nauplii, paramecia or infusoria. A dust food such as our YoungFeed is also very suitable.

The Aulonocara Fire Fish Albino can be kept well from an edge length of 130 cm, it may of course always be larger. With different stones and rocks you can offer them an environment close to their habitat. You should make sure that the mini-reef is secured against falling over and also has hiding places. A light-colored sandy substrate also suits them. The Fire Fish Albino also prefers good water hygiene, so regular water changes in your aquarium are mandatory to keep them happy. Additional oxygen can be integrated by a flow pump, but also the filter outlet can be adjusted accordingly, so that the outflowing water increases the surface movement. At a total hardness between 10 and 30 °dGH, as well as a pH value of 7-8.5 these great fellows feel well.

With other cichlids, which reach approximately its size and come from similar water parameters, the Aulonocara Fire Fish Albino can be socialized quite well. In contrast to other hybrids it is rather less conspicuous by too brisk behaviour. Only invertebrates are rather out of place in its aquarium, since they correspond to its natural food spectrum and are therefore ignored by it as delicacies.

In the aquarium the carnivorous Fire Fish Albino can be easily fed with conventional dry food like granules, sticks, pellets, but also flakes for carnivorous ornamental fish. From time to time you can also spoil him with live and frozen food, in general he should be fed varied. Artemia, but also white mosquito larvae, daphnia, enchytraea or tubifex are suitable. They will also gladly accept feeder shrimp or thawed fish fillets.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, perfectly meeting their dietary requirements. The tasty pearls are very well eaten even by larger cichlids. Thanks to their soft texture, NatureHolic Cichfeed food pearls are gentle on the mouth and can be eaten very well by the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.