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Red Zebra

Esther Grant's Zebra Family: Cichlidae

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Pseudotropheus estherae (original)
Other: Metriaclima estherae - Maylandia estherae Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   The Red Zebra is one of the most popular and commonly kept of the African Cichlids!

   The Red Zebra is moderately aggressive compared to other Mbuna, but is still not a community tank specimen with fish other than cichlids. The coloring of both the male and the female is very appealing, almost looking like two separate species. Though there are several color morphs available, in general the female is yellow to orange while the male is blue. This species easily adapts to prepared foods, is very easy to breed, and the juveniles are very easy to raise as well. This is a great fish for the intermediate and experienced alike.

   For the aquarists who is willing to do frequent water changes and provide appropriate tank mates, the Red Zebra is easy to care for. To house one male and two to three females, a minimum sized tank of 48” long with a lot of hiding places is needed for success. A much larger tank is needed for mixing Mbunas.

   The Red Zebra, also called Esther Grant's Zebra, is in a group of cichlids called Mbunas. There are 12 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities. These fish have been bred in captivity and there are many captive strains. There are almost 800 species of cichlids in Lake Malawi, of which many have not yet been formally categorized. Try and keep the different species blood lines pure.

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

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Distribution:
   The Red Zebra, also known as Esther Grant's Zebra, was described by Konings in 1995 and is found in Lake Malawi, Africa. Most are collected near the Minos Reef, but some are also found in Meluluca, Mozambique. They, like other Mbuna, are commonly found near rocky areas feeding on aufwuchs. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks. “Loose” aufwuchs can contain insect larvae, nymphs, crustaceans, snails, mites and zooplankton.

   “What is the deal with the 3 scientific names?” This question brings up a baffling problem that has not been resolved by the scientific community. To put this as simply as possible:

• When first discovered the original name for the Red Zebra was Pseudotropheus estherae. The Pseudotropheus genus (Regan 1922), contained a subgroup group of closely related fish described as the 'Zebras'.
• To put this group of 'Zebras' in their own genus, in 1984 a new name came forth, Maylandia. This genus name was derived from the name of a well known ichthyologist, Hans Mayland. But there is a problem with this name because it was said to not conform with the 'rules of the Code' for scientific description. So the genus name was pronounced a nomen nudum and therefore invalid. However this is still being debated.
• In 1997 the name Metriaclima was put forth as a correct descriptive genus name. However this too had problems. The protocol for a name change was not followed. There is an “official” channel that has to be gone through to contest and change a scientific name. So though Metriaclima is a descriptive genus name, if there is any “disagreement”, the rules are that the name reverts back to the original name.

   So in the mean time , both of the later names for the Red Zebra, Metriaclima Estherae and Maylandia estherae, are accepted, and Pseudotropheus estherae is still used in some circles. (Because we utilize Fishbase for geographic data point mapping, we list the scientific name that Fishbase utilizes first, and follow it with the others.)

Status:
   This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The Red Zebra can live up to around 10 years. Though their bodies are stockier than the other 'zebras', they have a torpedo shape. The coloration is completely different between male and female and there are several color morphs available:

• The males of the “red-blue” strain are a light blue with faint vertical bars and 4 - 7 egg spots on the anal fin.The “red-blue” strain juveniles are the easiest to tell apart, with males being born dark brown and females a pale pink.
• Males of the “red-red” strain can also be an orange/red coloring with no vertical bars. In the “red-red” strain, the juveniles are born similar in color the females, then at 2.5 inches, the male will have a light blue shade start to appear throughout his body and fins.
• There is an " albino" strain, but in the wild it is very rare.
• The females can be yellow, orange, or orange with dark mottling. They may have 0 - 3 egg spots on the anal fin that can be seen in both strains.

   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 Red Zebra grows to a length of just over 3” (7.9 cm), and can grow larger in the aquarium.

Care and feeding:
   The Red Zebra is an omnivore that needs mainly herbivorous foods. Though they eat a little zooplankton in the wild, the majority of their diet should be of vegetable matter. The will accept anything, but to keep their colors strong, feed New Life Spectrum, Cyclops, Spirulina, and any high quality herbivorous cichlid flake or small pellet. Mysis and brine shrimp occasionally is okay.
   They will easily become overweight, so be careful to not over feed. The algae growing in the tank is something they eat, so supplementing that natural food is less costly than for a carnivorous cichlid. 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. Too much protein and fat leads to Malawi Bloat, which is fatal.
   A 55 gallon tank with a minimum of 48” (122 cm) in length is suggested, though a larger tank would be required if mixing these cichlids. 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. Provide lots of passageways and caves formed with piles of rocks. This will lessen aggression and give everyone a place to call their own. They like to dig so make sure the rocks sit on the bottom of the aquarium not on the substrate.
   Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. As these are messy fish, do water changes of of 30% a week depending on bioload and vacuum the substrate every 2 weeks. It is also suggested to change the rock work around once a month if aggression is shown. Malawi bloat is a typical disease especially if their mostly herbivorous dietary needs are not met with quality foods. They can contract other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all 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: 6 - 10° dH
   Ph: 7.7 - 8.6
   Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 -28° C).

Social Behaviors:
   The Red Zebra is not considered to be a community fish. They are best kept in groups of one male and two or three females. If overstocking is used as a form of aggression reduction, care should be taken to do several partial water changes a week. They can be kept with other less aggressive Mbuna cichlids from Malawi that are not similar in coloring/shape
   They are a little mellower than other Mbuna, and can be kept with some other cichlids that are not overly aggressive. Do not house with Haplochromis, as the Red Zebra, like other Mbunas, are too aggressive towards them. Do not put with other Mbuna of similar shape and size, as they will attack and/or interbreed, which is not suggested.

Sexual Differences:
   The male is light blue with dark vertical bands, or an orange-red without bands, both having 4-7 egg spots on the anal fin. Female is yellow, orange or similar with or without the dark mottling on the body and 0-3 egg spots.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Red Zebra has been bred in captivity. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 inches. Obtain 7 young fry if the color morph you want is not apparent at a young age.

   Feed 2 times a day to condition them to breed. They like a flat tone or slate to lay the eggs in the male's territory. If your Red Zebras will not spawn, then that usually means there is a very aggressive fish in the tank. Removing that aggressive fish will prompt a more relaxed atmosphere and encourage spawning.
   The female will lay about 20 to 30 eggs then then immediately take them into their mouths before they are fertilized. The male flares out his anal fin, which has “egg spot patterning” so the female mistaken the eggs spots on the male’s anal fin as her own eggs and tries to take them in her mouth as well. In doing so, she then stimulates the male to discharge sperm (milt cloud) and inhales of cloud of “milt” which then fertilize the eggs in her mouth. In 14 to 21 days at about 82 F, the eggs are developed.
   The released fry can eat finely powdered dry foods and brine shrimp nauplii. The female will guard her young. As long as you have plenty of hiding places, your young will have a easier time surviving until they are too big to eat. The “red-blue” strained fry are born the same color as the female, and males start to develop a blue coloring over their body and fins at 2.5”. The “red-red” males are born dark brown with the females being pale pink. See the description of how cichlids breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   Red Zebras are sometimes found online for around $6.00 USD for juveniles. They are sometimes found in fish stores, and they may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season.
   When acquiring a Red Zebra, especially since this was one of the first cichlids to be introduced into the hobby, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Author: Carrie McBirney

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Latest Comments
The Red African cichlids are definitely some of the most interesting fish I've ever seen! Chrissi 2008-01-11

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