Hump-head
Cyrtocara moorii
Parameter dashboard
25-29 °C
7.5-8.8
25 cm
10 years
Care guide
Cyrtocara moorii, the blue dolphin or hump-head, is a haplochromine cichlid from Lake Malawi and neighbouring Lake Malombe. It ranges over shallow sandy floors and follows behind sand-sifting cichlids such as Fossorochromis rostratus, picking up the invertebrates their digging stirs into the water. Mature males grow a tall nuchal hump that, with the blunt face and metallic blue body, gives the fish its dolphin look. Males reach around 25 cm; females stay smaller, near 20 cm, and barely develop a hump.
For a big Malawi cichlid it is easygoing — a gentle giant that suits a community of other peaceful haplochromines and Synodontis rather than boisterous mbuna. It is a harem breeder, though, and should be kept as one male with several females rather than as a single pair, whose male would pester a lone female relentlessly. A group of four or more works; plan on at least a 250 litre tank.
It wants the hard, alkaline water of the rift lakes: 25–29 °C, pH 7.5–8.8, and a good mineral hardness. Give it a fine sand floor to sift and plenty of open water — the fish is easily startled and can hurt itself dashing about in a tank crowded with rock. Strong filtration keeps up with its size.
The blue colour is misleading: this is a micropredator, not an algae grazer, so feed a protein diet of quality cichlid pellets with frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and mysis. The female is a mouthbrooder, carrying a clutch of up to about ninety eggs for roughly three weeks.
Sources
- seriouslyfish.com — https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/cyrtocara-moorii/
- fishbase.se — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Cyrtocara-moorii.html
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Tankmate compatibility (sample)
Pairwise screening against other species in the database (prioritizing the same family when data is available).
Review first (12)
Caution or avoid from automated rules — confirm before mixing.
| Species | Assessment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blue acara Andinoacara pulcher var. Caution | Caution | close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Freshwater angelfish Pterophyllum scalare Caution | Caution | Species with non-overlapping pH ranges may not thrive together · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Gold severum Heros efasciatus var. Caution | Caution | Species with non-overlapping pH ranges may not thrive together · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Gold Shell Dweller Lamprologus ocellatus Caution | Caution | Fish 2x+ larger may eat smaller tankmates · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Greenstreaked eartheater Biotodoma cupido Caution | Caution | Fish 2x+ larger may eat smaller tankmates · Species with non-overlapping pH ranges may not thrive together · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Guayas cichlid Cichlasoma festae Caution | Caution | close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Humphead cichlid Cyphotilapia frontosa Caution | Caution | close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Multies Neolamprologus multifasciatus Caution | Caution | Fish 2x+ larger may eat smaller tankmates · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Pearly calvus Altolamprologus calvus Caution | Caution | Multiple territorial species in the same swim layer cause stress · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Rio Grande cichlid Herichthys cyanoguttatus Caution | Caution | Species with non-overlapping pH ranges may not thrive together · the two share only a narrow band of temperature, so one of them sits at the edge of its range · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Yellow belly cichlid Cichlasoma salvini Caution | Caution | the two share only a narrow band of temperature, so one of them sits at the edge of its range · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
| Green terror Andinoacara rivulatus Avoid | Avoid | Species with non-overlapping temperature ranges cannot coexist · the two share only a narrow band of temperature, so one of them sits at the edge of its range · close relatives, and one of them is territorial, so both claim the same kind of space Open pair in Compare → |
Same rule engine as Compare. Not a substitute for observation, tank size, or acclimation.
Related species
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