Johanni Cichlid (Melanochromis johannii) Breeding Guide

Breeding Melanochromis johannii: sexing by colour (black-blue male, orange female), harem setup, a three-week mouthbrooding hold and rearing fry.

Overview

Melanochromis johannii is an aggressive mbuna endemic to Lake Malawi, recorded around Masinje Rocks and Cape Ngombo. Males reach about 12 cm and females about 10 cm. It is a maternal mouthbrooder with marked sexual colour difference.

Sexing

Sexing is straightforward in mature fish: males are blue-black with bright blue striping while females are orange in colour, and males tend to be slightly larger. The male also carries the egg-shaped spots on the anal fin used in fertilisation. Young fish are less obvious, as immature males share the females' orange tone and only acquire the dark male colouration as they mature, so a settled group should be sexed once the fish are clearly adult.

Conditioning

Condition the group with plenty of live, frozen and vegetable foods. Keep the water alkaline and stable, with a pH around 8.2-8.5 and a temperature of about 25-27 degrees Celsius (77-80 degrees Fahrenheit).

Breeding Setup

An aquarium of around 90 cm (a 36-inch tank) with flat stones and areas of open substrate provides spawning sites. Keep a harem of one male and at least three females to manage the species' aggression.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The female lays her eggs and takes them into her mouth. She is attracted to the egg spots on the male's anal fin and, when she attempts to collect them, she receives the sperm that fertilises the clutch.

Egg & Fry Care

The female carries the eggs for around three weeks before releasing the free-swimming fry. The fry are large enough to take brine shrimp nauplii from the time of release.

Common Challenges

This is a highly aggressive species, so it is best kept as a single male with several females in a large rocky tank; if too few females are present, the male's persistent pursuit can exhaust or injure them. A stressed holding female may release the brood early if disturbed, so a quiet spot in the rockwork or a move to a holding tank protects the developing fry. To keep fry pure, do not house it with similarly patterned Melanochromis that could hybridise.