Cobalt / Ice Blue Cichlid | Pseudotropheus zebra var

Pseudotropheus Ice Blue Maylandia greshakei, also known as William’s Mbuna, is a beautiful zebra-type cichlid from Lake Malawi, Africa. It has a very attractive coloration of an icy blue body which contrasts with a bright orange upper fin. It makes a great fish to add variety to in a Mbuna cichlid Tank.

This cichlid has been in the hobby since the early 1980s. Before being scientifically explained they were sold as Pseudotropheus “Red Top Ice Blue”. It was first described by Meyer and Foerster in 1984 as Pseudotropheus greshakei and later several other common names developed. These cichlids can be found as William’s Mbuna, Ice Blue Zebra Cichlid, Red Top Ice Blue Zebra, Red Top Cobalt, Ice Blue Malawi, Ice Blue Cichlid, Ice Blue Red Top Zebra, Pseudotropheus sp. “Makokola”, and Zebra Greshakei.

This fish is a type of zebra member of the cichlid group called Mbunas. There are 13 genera full of very active and aggressive Mbuna cichlid personalities. The name Mbuna comes from the Tongan people of Malawi and means “rock fish” or “rock dweller”. The name aptly describes this fish’s living environment as opposed to open water swimmers such as the Utaka cichlid and other “haps”.

In a more recent taxonomic revision, the genus Pseudotropheus has been split into three sub-genera with these fish being placed in the sub-genus Pseudotropheus Maylandia. After much debate between the naming of this sub-genera Maylandia or Metriaclima, this species is currently considered legal as Maylandia greshakei. But after that there are still three scientific names commonly used for this fish hobby, including Pseudotropheus greshakei, Maylandia greshakei, and Metriaclima greshakei.

This cichlid is also sometimes mistaken for its very close relative, Pseudotropheus “Red Top Zebra Mbenji”, which has not been described scientifically. These two fish have very similar physical and behavioral characteristics, but Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is only found in the southeast arm of Lake Malawi near Makokola, while the others are from the Mbenji Archipelago.

Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is only moderately aggressive compared to the other Mbuna. This is not a community tank specimen to keep with fish other than cichlids, but can be kept in a tank with Mbunas of a similar temperament. Do not house fish of the same color and shape, as the males will see these other people as intruders and attack them.

For aquarists who are willing to do frequent water changes and provide suitable aquarium companions, the Pseudotropheus Ice Blue is easy to care for. It will quickly adapt to ready-to-eat foods and is ready to breed if it is not kept with an overly aggressive tank mate. To accommodate one male and two to three females, a tank of at least 48″ with plenty of hiding places is required to be successful. A much larger tank is required to mix Mbunas.

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