−10%
Difficult
Blunt-Headed Cichlid, Moori (Tropheus moorii orange I "bemba")
24–28°C · pH 8–9 · 300L
£22.49£24.99
Moliro 'orange fire cracker' Tropheus moorii — vivid orange Tanganyikan cichlid for specialist colonies of 12+ in 300 L+ tanks.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Photos are AI-enhanced, so the animal may show subtle colour or marking differences.
Tropheus moorii moliro orange fire craker
orange fire cracker are a shoaling species — they need 6+ to feel safe and show their full colour.
Moliro 'orange fire cracker' Tropheus moorii — vivid orange Tanganyikan cichlid for specialist colonies of 12+ in 300 L+ tanks.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Photos are AI-enhanced, so the animal may show subtle colour or marking differences.
Cichlids are one of the most diverse fish families in the hobby. From tiny apistogrammas to massive oscars, this guide covers the basics of keeping them well.
Maintain these water conditions for optimal health and vibrant colors
Picture a colony at feeding time: a dozen blazing-orange bodies moving as one. The Moliro orange fire cracker strain of Tropheus moorii earns its explosive trade name with vivid orange colouring, and it remains one of the boldest statements a Lake Tanganyika aquarium can make.
None of that intensity comes cheap in husbandry terms. This is a difficult-care, aggressive cichlid whose social structure demands numbers — a group of twelve or more kept together from the outset. House them in 300 litres at the very least, in hard alkaline water of pH 8.0–9.0 and 10–25 dGH, held between 24 and 28 °C. The feeding rule is strict and worth repeating: herbivore fare only, meaning spirulina flakes, vegetable-based pellets and algae.
Adults run to roughly 14 cm and favour the middle band of the tank, where colony interactions play out all day long. Keep other species out of the equation — fellow Tropheus of the same species are the only recommended companions, and most other fish are unsuitable. Treat the orange fire cracker as a project rather than a purchase: the difficult rating reflects an aggressive nature that needs the buffer of a full colony, water that must stay hard and alkaline, and a strict plant-based menu with no room for improvisation. Keepers who hold those three lines give the colony its best chance, and the reward is a group that can thrive for around ten years, with moderate-rated breeding prospects once it settles.
Buy the group, not the fish: order your colony together so the hierarchy forms once, in one tank, at one time. For Tanganyika devotees ready for the commitment, few freshwater projects are as spectacular as a settled orange colony in full colour. All livestock is covered by our live arrival guarantee and carried by a licensed live-animal courier.
24–28°C · pH 8–9 · 300L
23–27°C · pH 8–9 · 150L
24–27°C · pH 7.8–9 · 40L
24–27°C · pH 7.8–9 · 80L
24–27°C · pH 7.8–9 · 250L
18–26°C · pH 6.5–8 · 30L
20–24°C · pH 7–8 · 45L
24–28°C · pH 6.5–7.5 · 2000L
24–28°C · pH 5.5–7 · 60L
24–28°C · pH 7–8 · 120L
18–28°C · pH 6.5–8 · 20L
24–27°C · pH 7.5–8.8 · 150L
22–26°C · pH 6–7.5 · 60L
24–28°C · pH 7.5–8.5 · 40L
24–28°C · pH 7.5–8.5 · 500L
28–30°C · pH 5.5–7.5 · 300L
22–26°C · pH 6–7.5 · 150L
22–26°C · pH 6–7.5 · 200L
23–27°C · pH 5.5–7.5 · 80L
20–25°C · pH 6–7.5 · 80L