However, it's estimated that it's abundant in its regions. The population of the false zebra Mbuna is unknown for now due to a lack of research. This species of freshwater fish of Lake Malawi belongs to the class of ray-finned fish, Actinopterygii, like the Nile Tilapia! How many red zebra cichlids are there in the world? What class of animal does a red zebra cichlid belong to? They're omnivorous in nature with their diet comprising snails, insect larvae, mites, nymphs, zooplankton, algae, and crustaceans. The red zebras used to be scientifically known as Metriaclima estherae and Pseudotropheus estherae before its current scientific name. The red zebra cichlid is a freshwater fish that belongs to the group Mbuna that comprises many species of cichlids. If you found our red zebra cichlid facts interesting, you must read our seriously cool Rainbow Cichlid fun facts and Firemouth Cichlid facts for kids as well!įamily Cichlidae Red Zebra Cichlid Interesting Facts What type of animal is a red zebra cichlid? Are you loving the red zebra cichlid? Keep reading to to know about its habitat, breeding, lifespan, and more! This stunning fish must be kept in a group with three females for one male in an aquarium. In captivity, the coloration is different as they exhibit color mutation with the male red zebra cichlid being orange and the female being light orange in color. She also lacks the thick vertical barring that is present in all males. Both sexes look quite different from each other, almost as if they're of different species! The adult male in the wild is light-blue or pink-colored whereas the female can either be orange-red or brown-beige in color. This orange-blue mouth breeder is one of the very few Mbuna species that produces botched color mutations. It's a very desirable species in the aquarium trade with both the male and the female having an appealing appearance. This cichlid species is a member of the family Cichlidae and the genus Maylandia. It can be spotted along the lake's eastern coast from the Chilucha Reef around Metangula towards Narungu. The false zebra Mbuna is a freshwater tropical fish that is endemic to Africa's Lake Malawi. 'Mbuna' refers to rock-dwelling and rockfish, describing the environment of these Cichlids. It's a member of the Mbuna group that comprises 13 genera of aggressive and active Mbuna cichlids. This stunning fish is also known by names such as Esther Grant's zebra, orange zebra cichlid, orange-blue mouth breeder, false zebra Mbuna, orange zebra, red zebra, Mbuna, and Tilapia zebra. The red zebra cichlid is an attractive cichlid species whose scientific name is Maylandia estherae (previously known as Pseudotropheus estherae ).