Pseudocrenilabrus

The dwarf Egyptian mouth-brooder, Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, is a small cichlid from Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. One of the first cichlids to be spawned in captivity, it has been in the hobby for over a century and breeds easily as a maternal mouth-brooder. The two subspecies, P. m. multicolor and P. m. victoriae, differ in colour and pattern and should not be kept together, to prevent hybridisation.

Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi is a small mouth-brooding cichlid from the Democratic Republic of Congo, found in ponds, creeks and drainage ditches. Rarely seen in the hobby, it is a pugnacious little fish, and males are very aggressive towards one another, so a single male is best kept with several females. Some males develop long extensions to the ventral fins.

The southern mouth-brooder, Pseudocrenilabrus philander, is a cichlid found in eleven countries from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa. It lives in streams, lakes, ponds and sinkholes, and some populations exist in slightly brackish conditions. Three subspecies are recognised, but as many as 11 distinct populations may exist and these should not be mixed in aquaria. Not often seen in the hobby, it appears to travel badly and losses are common.