Common name/s: Acei, Yellow Tail Acei

Scientific name: There are two different varieties found, the most common Pseudotropheus Acei (Msuli), and the white tail Pseudotropheus Acei (Ngara)

Family: Cichlidae

Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa

Maximum size: 7”

Care: This is possibly the most docile fish in the mbuna family. Unlike other mbuna they prefer open areas to rocks, and will spend most of their time in the top half of the tank. They prefer to be in groups of 3 or more, male to female ratio is generally not an issue as multiple males will usually happily live together. They will occasionally bicker amongst themselves, but will rarely bother other fish, and since they prefer the top part of the tank will generally be ignored by most other mbuna. The minimum recommended tank size for these fish is 65 gallons since they are large by mbuna standards. In the wild they are generally found in open sandy areas near rocks. In the aquarium they will appreciate open area, but will utilize caves if they are high enough. Very few plants will stand up to the voracious appetite of the acei, with the exception of some anubias, and java ferns. Sand substrate is appreciated by these fish, but is not necessary. Acei are best kept with a PH of 7.5 or higher, and temperatures of 78 to 82 degrees. These are a great Malawi community fish, and a wonderful addition to almost any tank.

Feeding: As their natural diet is algae, spirulina flakes are highly recommended, along with a high quality cichlid staple food. They will also pick at any algae in the tank, including algae on the glass, however this should not be considered a main part of their diet since algae in the aquarium is very low in nutrients.

Sexing and breeding: At any age, sex is nearly impossible to determine by sight. Venting or observing spawning is the only definite way to sex. Females may be a little smaller than the males, and not as brightly colored, but sub-dominate males tend to be confused with females. These fish do not pair and males will mate with any female present. They will mate readily, and do not need particular water conditions. As mouthbrooders, females will incubate and hatch the eggs in her buchal pouch, and then continue to hold the fry until the yolk sacs have been consumed. A typical holding period for this cichlid is 3 weeks, and the female will not eat during this time. Females can have around 50 fry per spawning, although this can greatly vary depending on her size and experience. It’s not unusual for a female to swallow or spit her fry early in her first couple spawnings. Once spit, fry are left to fend for themselves. In order to raise fry the female should be separated into a holding tank, and removed once the fry have been spit. The fry can then be fed newly hatched brine shrimp, daphnia, or crushed flake food.

Here are a few pics of my acei, (msuli).





This one isn't a very good picture, but I caught them in the middle of a breeding run. The female is on the left with the male on the right.




These are all younger acei, with the largest at around 4 inches. If anyone as some pictures of fully grown adults or fry, they would be great additions.



Edited to fix broken links.



This post has been edited by dthoffsett: Jun 6 2007, 03:04 AM

male acei yellow tail

Just settling in at 4"