Red Empress Cichlid
Protomelas taeniolatus often sold under various trade names.
Red empress cichlid. Haplochromis red empress red empress or spindle hap is a haplochromine cichlid endemic to lake malawi in eastern africa. This cichlid gets to around 4 5 inches maybe slightly large as adults. The super red empress cichlid is a sexually dimorphic meaning that the males display the bright blue and red colors and females remain a silverish grey color with a black horizontal bar.
Red empress cichlids typically reach sexual maturity at 8 to 9 months. In the wild it s far more common for these fish to reach the upper limits of that range. The red empress cichlid protomelas taeniolatus is also known as the spindle hap or the red empress.
Fish in captivity however usually stay on the smaller end of the size spectrum. The fish is popular in the aquarium hobby due to the bright rainbow like colors of adult males and its relatively peaceful temperament. The red empress or spindle hap has a body shape that is similar to the peacock cichlids only deeper and the forehead is a little higher.
Protomelas taeniolatus place of origin. Dorsal fins as well can develop red. Males have blue heads and bodies with combinations of yellows reds and oranges.
The average red empress cichlid size is between 4 5 and 6 inches in length which is reasonably large. A 55 gallon with lots of rock cover would be a very good setup to start with. Their tail fins can develop beautiful red and blue spotted coloring.
For the other feedings they should be fed special foods. Protomelas taeniolatus namalenje aka red empress are a stunning fish with its blue face and bright red body they are simply breathtaking. The red empress cichlid is very stunning in its adult male colors.
The red empress cichlids are quite popular because of the male s rainbow like colors. The red empress is an endemic species found only in lake malawi africa but. It can grow around 5 6 inches 13 15 cm in length and will sometimes get larger in the aquarium.
Lake malawi adult size. They should be fed twice per day for a total of 14 feedings per week. For a majority of the feedings they should be fed a staple food consisting of either flakes or pellets.
Red empress cichlids are omnivores so their diet regimen should consist of meats and vegetables. The red empress also has a forked tail whereas the peacocks do not.