Orange Petrotilapia (Petrotilapia tridentiger orange) - Cichlid Fish for Sale UK

Bold orange colour sets the Orange Petrotilapia (Petrotilapia tridentiger orange) apart in a Lake Malawi display. This is the orange form of a large, active mbuna - reaching around 15cm - and it brings warm colour and constant movement to the upper rocks of a big African aquarium.

Make no mistake about the commitment involved: this is a difficult-level fish that wants a genuinely large tank. Our care notes call for a minimum of 400 litres, reflecting both its adult size and its energetic, territorial nature. It is a herbivore and algivore, so its menu should be plant- and algae-based rather than meaty.

Living in the middle region above scattered rockwork, it is semi-aggressive and can become territorial. In a spacious, heavily rock-scattered layout it has the room to establish itself while still letting suitable tank mates hold their own.

Care at a glance

• Adult size around 15cm; lifespan up to 8 years
• Temperature 25-28°C, pH 7.5-8.5, hardness 10-30 dGH
• Minimum 400-litre aquarium with abundant rockwork
• Herbivore and algivore - feed a vegetable-based diet
• Difficult care; semi-aggressive, middle-region Malawi mbuna

This is a fish that demands real room to be kept well. The 400-litre minimum is there to absorb its size and its energetic, territorial nature, ideally in a heavily rock-scattered layout that gives it structure to defend and tank mates somewhere to retreat. Keep the water between 25 and 28°C, the pH from 7.5 to 8.5 and hardness across 10 to 30 dGH for the hard, alkaline conditions it needs.

As a herbivore and algivore its diet should be firmly vegetable-based, mirroring the grazing it does in nature; rich, meaty feeds are best left out. With the right space, water and menu, it can reach around eight years of age while bringing constant orange-toned movement to the middle of a large mbuna community.

Who to keep it with

Good companions are other Lake Malawi cichlids of similar size and temperament, robust Synodontis catfish, and other similarly sized Malawi mbuna in a large, heavily rock-scattered aquarium. Avoid small fish that can be bullied or eaten, peaceful community fish, slow-moving long-finned fish, highly aggressive cichlids that will outcompete it, and soft-water species. We dispatch each order using a licensed live-animal courier, backed by our live arrival guarantee.