Turquoise Golden Perch - Melanochromis auratus - single specimen

Turquoise goldfish, Melanochromis auratus, belong to the Mbuna (rock cichlids) and have always been the "old hands" among Malawi enthusiasts who like to keep them. The Turquoise Golden Perch is endemic to the south of Lake Malawi in Africa, where it inhabits rocky littoral near the shore, but also reefs from Jalo Reed along the west coast to Crocodile Rocks to depths of 10 meters. Its habitat features sandy and gravelly substrates with many rocky outcrops, roots, and ledges.

The fish exhibit a typically elongated perch body with a slight high back, which may be somewhat more pronounced in males. The sexes differ markedly in color and also in size: for example, males tend to be dark blue to black in base color and show a distinct light blue longitudinal band that begins behind the eyes and extends over the caudal fin, as well as a light-colored back and light coloring of the first fin rays of the ventral and anal fins. They grow to about 11 centimeters and show one to several egg spots on the anal fin. Females, on the other hand, remain somewhat smaller at about 9 centimeters and more stocky with an orange ground color on which a longitudinal black band, each adorned with white above and below, extends from the eyes to the caudal fin root, and another longitudinal black band extends below the dorsal fin from the forehead to the caudal fin. The dorsal fin of females may have black spots and an orange-yellow fringe with red spots in places.

They live to be about 7-9 years old if kept and cared for well. As a nursery fe eder, they also feed on algae and accompanying fauna and can really transform an aquarium in the process, somewhat limiting the choice of decorations and plants. Even though turquoise perches live up to their name and sometimes behave in a very "perky" manner, this merely attests to their distinctly social behavior. They should therefore be kept in a rather large species aquarium with a clear surplus of females. 

Our Turquoise Golden Perches are supplied as pairs.

With a temperature increase, the cichlids can be brought into spawning mood. Turquoise goldfish are mouth brooders where the female takes the up to 35 eggs into her mouth. The male presents her with his egg patch on the anal fin, which triggers a snapping reflex in the female and the male releases his sperm just at that second. The eggs fertilized in this way hatch into fish larvae after about 3 weeks, which can be fed with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii.

Turquoise goldfish should be kept in a species aquarium from 450 liters but at least from 150 cm edge length. Similar to their habitat, the substrate consists of fine sand and gravel and features stone structures and roots. These serve both as territorial markers, but also as privacy screens and retreats. Since the perches are not squeamish, plants with solid roots and thick leaves, such as Java ferns, Anubias, Bucephalandra or Vallisneria are suitable. The fish spend most of their time in the lower to middle water zone, where they nibble off growth, but also burrow in the bottom. Therefore, they partially remodel an aquarium where fine fleshed plants are dug up more often. The water values should have a total hardness of 3°-15° dGH, as well as a pH of 7.5-8.5 and a temperature of 26°-28° C.

Companion fish can be other Mbuna of the same size or larger . Since they love to eat invertebrates, they should not be socialized with them.

As omnivores, the Turquoise Golden Perch can be fed both dry and flake plant foods or granules suitable for perch, as well as larger live and frozen foods such as Artemia from time to time.

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 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, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish 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.