Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Cichlids > Kenyi Cichlid

Kenyi Cichlid

Lombardoi Cichlid

Family: CichlidaePseudotropheus lombardoiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Easy to please as long as their requirements are met, the Kenyi Cichlid is a great fish for a first time Malawi tank!

   Though the Kenyi Cichlid holds its own in a larger aquarium of mixed Mbunas, it is not a community tank specimen with fish other than cichlids. They are very aggressive, even 2 inch juveniles have the desire and power to devastate feeder guppies. The male and female have totally different colorations, but the female has just as attractive coloring as the male.

   The Kenyi Cichlid easily adapts to prepared foods and will eat pretty much anything. They will even eat the algae in the tank too, so you do not need to buy a plecostomos. They are best kept in a species specific tank unless they are kept with large Mbunas and have lots of hiding places. In a large species tank, keep a group of one male and several females.

   The Kenyi Cichlid is in a group of cichlids called Mbunas. There are 12 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities. Other names for the Kenyi Cichlid are the Mbuna, Kenyi, Blue Kenyi, Kennyi, and Kenyii. These fish have been bred in captivity and with all the different hybrids that have been formed, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer. Try and keep the different species blood lines pure.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:    The Kenyi Cichlid was described by Burgess in 1977. They are found in Lake Malawi and though originally endemic to Mbenji Island, this fish has been introduced to Namalenji Island. They enjoy depths of around 32 feet or more (10 m) in areas of sediment-rich substrates and can be found over muddy and sandy spots between rocks. The Kenyi Cichlid will eat plankton in the water, though they primarily eat algae that they brush off of rocks. Males will protect a pit in the sand that he will use as a nest, but juveniles, females and the non-territorial males are usually found in small groups or by themselves.

Status:    This species is listed on the IUCN Red List with the status of 'VU', meaning 'Vulnerable'.

Description:    The Kenyi Cichlid has the typical elongated body, though the male seems to be a tad deeper than other Mbunas. There are color differences between the male and female. The male is a golden yellow with faint vertical bars, and has egg spots on the anal fin along with a lighter colored stomach area. The females are a purple to blue color with the same faint bars and lighter stomach area. Juveniles are similar to females, only smaller. All stages have faded vertical bars that have hints of color where they meet the dorsal fin. The Kenyi Cichlid can live up to 10 years.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense "smells" in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being "sampled" for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to "smell" the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

Size - Weight:   The Kenyi Cichlid grows to a length of 5" (12.7 cm), sometimes larger in home aquaria.

Care and feeding:    The Kenyi Cichlid is an omnivore that will accept frozen or live brine shrimp, mysis, high quality flake, pellets, spirulina, and other preparations for omnivore cichlids. They also enjoy bloodworms, live feeder guppies, and daphnia. Their diet can also be supplemented with vegetable foods such as spinach, zucchini, and peas. It is always better to feed them small amounts several times a day instead of one large feeding. This keeps the water quality higher for a longer period of time. Of course, all fish benefit from added vitamins and supplements to their foods.
   Provide 10 gallons for a single fish or 50 gallons for a male and several females. A larger tank would be required if mixing with other Mbuna. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Crushed coral or sand for salt water tanks can help keep the PH up. Gravel is acceptable as well. The Kenyi Cichlid needs a lot of rock work for shelter and territories. Some open space is appreciated as well. They do well with plenty of hiding places among plants and terracotta pieces.
   Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. As these are messy fish, do water changes of 10% to 20% a week depending on the bio load. Malawi bloat is a typical disease especially if their dietary needs are not met with quality foods. It is caused by too much protein matter. They can contract other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:    These fish will swim in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:    The streams that flow into Lake Malawi have a high mineral content. This along with evaporation has resulted in alkaline water that is highly mineralized. Lake Malawi is known for its clarity and stability as far as PH and other water chemistries. It is easy to see why it is important to watch tank parameters with all Lake Malawi fish. A higher PH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fishes. A very slow acclimation to different PH levels can sometimes be achieved.
   Hardness: 10 - 12° dH
   Ph: 8.0 - 8.6
   Temp: 73 - 80° F (23 -27° C).

Social Behaviors:    The Kenyi Cichlid is not considered to be a community fish. They are best kept in groups of one male and several females in a large tank. Males will attack and kill any other males of the same species in the tank. Best kept in species specific tank unless kept with large Mbunas and with lots of hiding places. If overstocking is used as a form of aggression reduction, care should be taken to do several partial water changes a week. Do not put this fish with peaceful cichlids.

Sexual Differences:    Males are golden yellow and females are purple/blue with both having faded vertical bars on their body.

Breeding/Reproduction:    The Kenyi Cichlid has been bred in captivity. This cichild is a mouthbrooder with the female laying the eggs and then picking them up in her mouth to be fertilized. It is thought that the egg spots on the males anal fin are to fool the female into thinking those are more of her eggs, resulting in her mouthing the male's anal fin, thus stimulating him to release milt (sperm). She then takes the milt into her mouth resulting in the eggs being fertilized.
  The female will carry about 50 eggs for 3 weeks. Fry can eat cyclopeeze, artemia, Daphnia and finely crushed flake. When they reach 2 inches they can be eat feeder guppies. Ample hiding places are needed to have success when breeding, giving females the opportunity to hide. See the description of how cichlids breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:    Kenyi Cichlids are usually found online for around $4.00 to $8.00 USD for juveniles. They are usually found in fish stores, though may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season.
   When acquiring a Kenyi Cichlid, with all the different hybrids that have formed in captivity, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Author: Carrie McBirney

Lastest Comments on Kenyi Cichlid View all 11 comments on Kenyi Cichlid Add Your Comment

ange - 2011-01-22 I have an 80 gallon tank (48 x36 x14) I would like to put a semi aggressive fish in there like the cichild. I don't want a lot but how many is good for this tank? And what other fish are suggested to go with? Do I get the cichlids first or other fish first? Editor's Note - 2011-01-22 As a general rule, 1" of fish for every 1 gallon of water. Click here on how to stock your aquarium: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/freshwater.htm#inhabitants Cichlids tend to be aggressive fish and you most likely will only want to keep them with other cichlids or other aggressive fish. Here is a link to keeping cichlids:http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/cichlids.htm kefentse brown - 2011-05-24 If it's not to late for the answer I would say with enough hiding places 25 for a good active mbuna tank. I have 16 mbunas a pleco and a cray fish and my fish are breeding in a 50 gallon. I feed them good also. Reply

shpaintball - 2012-02-29 I have one kenyi and one calvus with a pair of wags and a checkered barb and a dwarf gourami. They all get along fine except the gourami and the kenyi. I think it's the color the kenyi hates him. Proof that they can be kept together note however they've been together almost nearly all since birth. Reply

Arijit Sarkar - 2012-01-29 These fish born as female. When matured males become golden, and female remain silvery blueish. I had 10 of these, 4 male and 6 female. Male Kenyis are quiet aggressive. There should be only one dominant male With at least 4 Female in a group. Reply

sarabjit - 2011-09-19 I had 8 kenyi cichlids but I have noticed from past 4 days that they have started getting very much aggressive to each other and killing each other. Now after 4days I'm left with only 3 cichlids as each day 1 or 2 of them dies because of their aggressiveness. Now I have 1 male and 2 female but worried that even they will be together or no. So anyone can suggest me what care should I take. Toby Jungle - 2011-09-19 I would read the article on the Kenyi Cichlids on Animal Word. Should be attached. Kenyi Cichlids are quite agressive and they are very teriitorial. They also get - up to 5 inches in length. Animal World recommends a 10 gallon tank for one and a 50 gallon tank if you have a male with several females. Many say that Animals/fish know what size they are going to be and will control the population to insure that some survive. It has been said that birds will go to having clutches (babies) every other year. Also said that fish will kill each other off to make sure there is room and habitat for those that are left. What size tank do you have? gail - 2011-11-17 The male is most aggressive and will kill all, but, the female. You should be fine in the tank and now the male is a happy swimmer with his girls. Good luck. Anonymous - 2012-01-13 Males will kill other males unless you have 6 to 7 females and males will only be super aggressive during breeding. You need to have lots of other cichlids and other fish in the tank so he does not single any one fish out and then kill him and then kill the next fish and so on you also need lots of rocks and hidding places Reply

james - 2011-08-26 I have a 60 gallon reef tank and a mixture of mbuna. I have been studying the nature of cichlid behaviour for 2 1/2 years. What I have discovered is the aggressiveness of a cichlid is born from the very beginning at birth. Theses beautiful creatures, from the moment of birth fight for domminance over territories and constantly jockey for the best positions for survival. Whomever states that cichlids are not aggressive, well, really hasn't spent the time to really get to know there friends...... Cichlid are very interesting builders and excavationers as well. My male Kenyi is always moving gravel around plants(good thing there decor. plants), I do keep anacharis plants to help with there diet, anyway, if you have a clean tank with lots of rock and plants then from time to time you should notice pits and other hiding spots created by these creatures. for the most part cichlids are aggressive and if anyone, who has them as pets should take care and learn because even fish have distinct behavioral traits that makes each one different. In my conclusion, even though aggressive in nature, Mbuna are very doscile and fun to observe. Toby Jungle - 2011-08-26 Possibly - all things are slightly agressive and we learn to behave in order to get along. Kittens can be agressive and so can puppys. Birds when being hand fed or in the nest seem to be a little assertive as they are being fed. Given enough room, space, food, agression decreases. I had cichlids and they intitally seemed agressive to me - always chasing one another. Then just a short time passed and they formed pairs and built little hidey holes and had little hidey spots in the plants and decorations. They built little tunnels etc and all got along. Sometimes they would be a litttle protective of their areas but basically all got along. I thought it was more this is my turf kinda thing. I will say they are interesting to watch. Their behavior seem to be quite complex - especially the building. Reply

quicky2g - 2011-01-18 I bred these in a 29 gallon a while back with 2 females and 1 male. I got rid of that tank before college and got a few after college but didn't have great success with them. I had 2 females after college. Their color wasn't exactly what I was looking for with the mix of the rest of my fish, and the 2 females were slightly too aggressive for the rest of my fish. They are very hardy and active but I wouldn't recommend these for beginners because of the aggression. I'm not a fan of the yellow males at all. Trisomy21 - 2011-05-26 Yeah I've got an adult male and he is pure evil. He's killed numerous of fellow mbuna, including females and other various fish. I've only had a couple fish stand up to him and carve out some territory in the 65 gallon. One being a Green Sunfish. I guess it depends on the fish, their attitudes vary. Reply

Add your comment!

View all 11 comments on Kenyi Cichlid

Back to Cichlids