Socolofi cichlid (powder blue)

Care at a glance

The socolofi is the soft blue, unstriped mbuna swimming in almost every Malawi corner of the shop, often under the name powder blue or pindani. Males and females are equally blue, which sets it apart from most mbuna where only the male has colour.

For an mbuna it is moderate, but it remains a rock dweller that defends a spot of its own and chases off tankmates of the same colour. Keep it in a group with more females than males, among plenty of rocks in hard water, and feed mainly vegetable food: spirulina flakes and algae wafers. Protein-rich food gives these algae grazers gut problems.

Good to know

• Territorial

Related species

• Maingano cichlidMelanochromis cyaneorhabdos
• Venustus (giraffe cichlid)Nimbochromis venustus
• Electric blue hap (fryeri)Sciaenochromis fryeri
• Tropheus (duboisi, moorii)Tropheus sp.
• Bumblebee catfishMicroglanis iheringi
• Lemon cichlid (leleupi)Neolamprologus leleupi