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Blue Moorii

Malawi Blue Dolphin ~ Hump-head

Family: CichlidaeBlue Moorii, also called Malawi Blue Dolphin and Hump-headCyrtocara mooriiPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind
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My guy loves to swim around with our breeding pair of aceis. I think he thinks he's one of them   amber

   Both the male and female Blue Moorii will develop a pronounced bump on their head, thus the common name 'Hump-head'!

   The Blue Moorii comes from Lake Malawi in Africa. It gets to be rather large, up to 10 inches (25.4 cm), and has an overall blue coloring. Besides developing a lump on its head as an adult, it also has a rather elongated snout, so is also commonly known as the Malawi Blue Dolphin and the Hump-head.

   This is a more peaceful fish, but durable enough to keep with the more aggressive and generally smaller mbuna species that are also from Lake Malawi. Like all cichlids, the Blue Moorii is territorial. They have a "harem polygyny" nature, where males maintain a territory with several females, so it is best to keep one male with at least three females. It likes an aquarium with a sandy bottom, some rocks with caves for hiding places, and lots of open swimming space. They will burrow but will not harm plants.

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


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Distribution:    The Blue Moorii, also known as the Malawi Blue Dolphin and the Hump-head, were described by Boulenger in 1902. They are found in Lake Malawi, Africa where they inhabit sandy coastal areas. Imported for the aquarium trade since 1968, most of these fish are wild caught.

Status:    The species is listed on the IUCN Red List, but with the status of 'LC', meaning 'least concern'.

Description:   The body of the Blue Moorii is elongated with a somewhat pointed snout, looking similar to that of a dolphin, thus the name Malawi Blue Dolphin. They have an overall blue coloring with varying amounts of black markings on their fins and back, depending upon their place of origin. As adults both the male and female develop a lump on the forehead, a cranial bump.

Size - Weight:    These fish get up to 10 inches (25.4 cm).

Care and feeding:    They are omnivorous, so the Blue Moorii will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and tablet foods. They do best with a high protein diet, so feed meaty foods such as beef heart chunks, blood worms, or brine shrimp (either live or frozen). To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday.

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

Acceptable Water Conditions:    Hardness: 10-18° dGH
   Ph: 7.2 to 8.8
   Temp: 74-79° F 24-26° C

Social Behaviors:    They can be a community fish although they are territorial. It is best to keep a male with three or more females in a species tank or with other cichlids that are not overly aggressive, such as the peacock cichlids or the mbuna species from Lake Malawi.

Sexual Differences:    It is hard to tell the difference between males and females since they both develop a hump on their forehead. The males may be larger, the cranial bump may also be larger, and they may be more brightly colored, but this is not always the case.

Breeding/Reproduction:    The Blue Moorii, Blue Lumphead, or Blue Dolphin are egg layers and form matriarchal families. They are mouthbrooders. The female generally lays 20-90 eggs on a smooth rock, then takes them into her mouth.

See the description of how these fish breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish, openly polygamous cichlids.

Picture of a Blue Moorii, Malawi Blue Dolphin, or Hump-head

Availability:    The Blue Moorii, also called Malawi Blue Dolphin and Hump-head, is readily available and usually run between $4.50 - $10.00 USD.

Author: David Brough, CFS


Cyrtocara Moorii Blue Dolphin Cichlid Juvenile Cyrtocara Moorii Blue Dolphin Cichlid Juvenile
Offered By: That Pet Place
Price: $9.99
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Lastest Comments on Blue moorii

amber - 2011-09-28
My guy loves to swim around with our breeding pair of aceis. I think he thinks he's one of them

Reply
Anonymous - 2011-07-31
I like fish but turtles are better.

Click For Replies (1)
  • Charlie Roche - 2011-08-01
    You can have both - probably not in the same place.
Reply
mitch logan - 2011-06-21
i have a blue moorii in my tank. I put it in yesterday but my ob zebra smashing it and its got half of its scales left on the moorii what can I do?

Reply
donna - 2007-09-27
We have a colony of blue dolphins and they are very bosy and think they are the kings of our 8ft tank. They are beautiful fish and keep the tank looking lively.

Click For Replies (3)
  • mike ginter - 2010-03-01
    So there is no really way to tell the male and female apart. What about their anal fins, on most fish you can tell. Males have sharp points and females have rounded anal fins. Can you tell the blue moori that way to.
  • scott - 2011-03-25
    Just wondering how much is a dolphin fish worth I know someone who is trying to sell me one for $50 Australian dollars but tells me you can buy them up to $1000 aus is this correct?
  • David Brough - 2011-03-30
    I don't know if there are specialty or show fish of this breed but a normal price at That Pet Place for this species is $10-15 US
Reply
sumit - 2010-05-17
I agree these are my favorites like there behavior "peaceful".

Reply
mbomfaya - 2009-11-20
My 2.8 inch blue moorii, from my judgment, finds a comfortable life stocked in a tank with many other fish. They are so attractive and they are also very healthy. I term my moorii mother of peace, as they are too friendly and hardly bully other fish.

Reply

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