Pseudotropheus elongatus "Usisya Mara Rock" Mbuna

An elongate mbuna from the rocks near Usisya, Lake Malawi

This rock-dwelling Lake Malawi cichlid reaches us under the trade name Pseudotropheus elongatus “Usisya Mara Rock”, after the rocky reefs near Usisya where this form lives. Trade names for mbuna are not always the current scientific name — some references list this location form under a different genus and species — so we list it under the name it is sold as and describe the fish itself. The photograph shows a male: an orange-gold body with pale blue-grey vertical bars, a blue-white edged dorsal fin and a yellow tail. Young fish and females are usually duller.

What you receive

Choose 3–4 cm, 4–5 cm, 5–6 cm, 6–7 cm or 7–9 cm, then the quantity. One quantity is one live fish; sex is not guaranteed. The photo shows a male; females and young fish are less colourful. A size that is out of stock this week cannot be added to the basket.

Aquarium and water

An mbuna aquarium of 120 cm or more, larger for a mixed community, with piles of stable rock and many caves over a sand base. Place rockwork directly on the base so digging cannot undermine it. Keep hard, alkaline water — 24–28°C, pH 7.6–8.8, 10–25 dGH — with strong filtration and regular water changes; mbuna are messy grazers. OATA’s Malawi guidance covers the chemistry and stocking.

Feeding

A grazer: feed a mainly vegetable diet — spirulina flakes or pellets, blanched spinach and nori — with occasional small frozen foods. Never feed red meat such as beef heart.

Tank mates and behaviour

Elongate mbuna are among the most aggressive Malawi cichlids and are intolerant of their own kind and similarly patterned fish. Keep one male with several females in a busy, well-stocked mbuna aquarium with other robust mbuna of different colours, so aggression is spread. Never mix with peaceful peacocks, haps or community fish.

Follow the arrival sequence before releasing the fish

Tropical Fish Co’s delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy explains the packing and arrival procedure. Livestock is hand-bagged in pure oxygen and placed in an insulated poly box, with a heat pack when the weather calls for it. Someone must be at the address to receive the parcel because live animals cannot be left unattended.

1. Receive the parcel in person and start filming before opening it. Show the parcel still sealed with the outer box visible.
2. Open the parcel in one continuous take. Keep filming until the fish can be seen inside the sealed bag before anything is disturbed.
3. Float the bag for 20–30 minutes so the temperature equalises slowly.
4. Do not pour the bag water into the aquarium. Release the fish without adding transport water to the established system.

If a Live Arrival Guarantee claim is required, contact us on the same day with the order number and the continuous unboxing video. Before the parcel arrives, confirm that ammonia and nitrite read zero and that the aquarium matches the water values on this page.

Frequently asked questions

What species is it?

It is sold under the trade name Pseudotropheus elongatus "Usisya Mara Rock". Mbuna trade names do not always match current scientific names, so we list it under the name it is sold as.

Is it aggressive?

Yes. Keep it in a busy mbuna aquarium with one male to several females and plenty of rockwork.

What does it eat?

Mainly vegetable food — spirulina flakes or pellets, blanched spinach, nori — with occasional small frozen foods; never red meat.

What water does it need?

Hard, alkaline Lake Malawi water: 24–28°C, pH 7.6–8.8 and 10–25 dGH.

Public references

• Seriously Fish: Pseudotropheus elongatus — water conditions, aquarium size, temperament and diet of elongate mbuna.
• OATA: How to look after Lake Malawi cichlids — hard alkaline water, rockwork, stocking and feeding guidance for Malawi cichlids.
• RSPCA aquarium environment guidance — biological filtration and the aquarium nitrogen cycle.