Emperor cichlid yellow - Aulonocara maleri

The Yellow Emperor Cichlid originating from the East African Lake Malawi has enjoyed great popularity in aquaristics for quite some time. Also called Aulonocara maleri, this pretty comrade is counted as a subspecies of Aulonocara stuartgranti and is a nonmbuna. "Maleri" refers to its habitat near the island of Maleri. With their radiant appearance, especially the males provide good mood in the aquarium.

This emperor cichlid has the high back typical of perches with flat sides and an underslung mouth with thick lip bulges. In the basic color the males are bright golden yellow the females rather gray and less color intensive. There are pretty turquoise blue spots on the cheeks and gill cover, and the dorsal and caudal fins also have light blue lines. The pelvic fins are pointedly extended and somewhat elongated in males, also  their anal fin ends in a point, that of females is rounded. The yellow emperor cichlid grows to about 10-12 centimeters in length.

The breeding of these mouthbrooders in the aquarium is quite successful. Keeping them in a harem is especially recommended. With larger live and frozen food the animals can be brought into spawning mood. The female lays between 60-65 eggs on flat stones and then takes them into her mouth, where they are fertilized by the male. After about 21 days, the first larvae hatch and are still cared for by the female. After free swimming the young are independent and can be raised with very fine live and frozen food such as microworms, freshly hatched artemia or enchytraea, but also dust food such as our YoungFeed can be raised.

For the Golden Emperor Cichlid to feel comfortable in the aquarium, it should be offered at least  300 liters. As in its habitat, a good underwater structure should not be neglected. Sand is suitable as substrate. With hardscape like stones and rocks, which are secured against falling over, you can create a great reef for him. This serves as a privacy screen, as a retreat, but also as a territorial marker. Even if planting is not so important, the aquarium can be greened somewhat with bitter tasting Anubias. All other plantlets but also mosses will probably be dug out and nibbled on with time. Basically the Emperor Cichlid attaches importance to a very good water hygiene, regular water changes are therefore obligatory, advantageous is also some current, which enriches the water with vital oxygen. In medium hard water with a pH-value between 7,5 and 8,5 it can be maintained very well, the total hardness may be 9-30 °dGH and the KH 6-30 °dKH. Optimal is 24-27 °C.

The Golden Emperor Cichlid can be socialized with other peaceful species without any problems. However, it is rather reserved, which is why in this case rather brash fish species should be avoided, otherwise they become very shy and fade in places. Well suited are also featherbeard catfish and other peaceful fish, which come from similar water parameters. Dwarf shrimps, but also crayfish, mussels or snails run the risk of being eaten by him, so they should rather not be in his aquarium.

As a carnivore, the Aulonocara maleri can be fed in the aquarium with an ornamental fish food for carnivorous species. It does not matter much whether it is flake food, granules or sticks. With live and frozen food like white Mosquito larvae or Daphniabut also Feeding shrimps or Artemia it can be spoiled prima, so that it gets some variety.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, which perfectly meets their requirements for food composition. The tasty pearls are also very well eaten 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.