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No federal permit to keep

Variabilichromis moorii

Fishes › Cichlids (Cichliformes) › Cichlidae (Cichlids)

Variabilichromis moorii has no common name and is a species of freshwater cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa.

Aquarium hobby

Experience: Intermediate

Variabilichromis moorii — Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FamilyCichlids

Adult lengthup to 4.1 in

WaterFreshwater

HabitatLives in freshwater

Care at a glance

Species-specific aquarium care

Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 4.1 in / 10.3 cm).
Water: Freshwater.
Temperature: 75–79°F (range recorded for this species).
Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
Diet: FishBase classes it as a omnivore.

Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.

Care guide

Species care notes

Water: hard, alkaline water, 73–81 °F, pH 7.5–9, 8–25 dGH.
Behaviour: temperament peaceful.
Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).

Short excerpts from the species profile:

Setup: “Much of the aquarium should contain piles of rocks arranged to form caves with small areas of open water between.”
Diet: “Live and frozen foods should comprise a large proportion of the diet.”
Tankmates: “A relatively peaceful species even when spawning.”

From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167

Group care guide

Lake Tanganyika cichlids

Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Rocky reefs, shell beds and sand of Lake Tanganyika. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.

Housing & setup

Use species-specific alkaline-water parameters and stable, well-oxygenated conditions. For N. multifasciatus, Seriously Fish gives pH 7.5–9.0 and general hardness 8–25 dGH.
Shell-dwellers need beds of empty snail shells; rock-dwellers like Julidochromis need stacked rockwork; Tropheus need large groups and spacious tanks.

Sources 117 119 164 118 256 273

Climate & lighting

Water

76–81°F

Sources 117 119 164 118 256 273

Diet

Tropheus moorii needs a vegetable-based staple with small suitable live/frozen supplements. Other Tanganyikans need their own feeding plan; shell-dweller and predator diets differ.

Sources 117 119 164 118 256 273

Social life

Often pair- or colony-forming and territorial; research each genus.

Sources 117 119 164 118 256 273

Health watch

Tropheus are prone to bloat on rich foods; sudden water changes stress Tanganyikans.

Sources 117 119 164 118 256 273

Understanding the animal

About this animal

It is a small ovate bodied fish named for an early collector of fish from the lake, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947) who was a cytologist, zoologist and led an expedition to Lake Tanganyika and who discovered this species. Juveniles are usually yellow, and adults are dark brown to black in color.

Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Variabilichromis moorii” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174

In the wild

From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.¹

Where it lives	Lives in freshwater, in lakes. Uses both the bottom and open water. Gobbles up pieces of the biocover in search of invertebrates.
Ground it lives on	Over rock.
Water it lives in	Freshwater, 75–79 °F (24–26 °C).
Climate	Tropical climate.
Behavior to plan for	Breeding: nesters.

What this means for care

Keep water within its wild range, 75–79 °F.
Provide rockwork with crevices to hide in.

FishBase species summary: Variabilichromis moorii

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 88°F (up to 91°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 62°F (down to 53°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	70–81°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	54–61% on average (driest month about 45%)
Rainfall	about 967 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons

Measured at 17 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

From the sources

Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.

Overview	Variabilichromis moorii has no common name and is a species of freshwater cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. It is a small ovate bodied fish named for an early collector of fish from the lake, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870–1947) who was a cytologist, zoologist and led an expedition to Lake Tanganyika and who discovered this species. Juveniles are usually yellow, and adults are dark brown to black in color. It reaches a total length (TL) of 10.3 cm. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Where it lives	Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase
Wild diet	Individual V. moorii territories are defended for their food resources and territory owners will defend more aggressively against individuals of species with similar diets, including conspecifics. V. moorii feeding territories in deeper areas are larger than those in shallow areas. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Reproduction	Spawns in caves, both parents care for their young. — FishBase
Appearance and size	V. moorii exhibit sexual dimorphism as adult females tend to be larger than adult males. Adult males often have longer pelvic, dorsal, and anal fins than females do. Adults are black with electric blue edges on their tail, pectoral, and dorsal fins, whereas juveniles are yellow. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Biology	Gobbles up pieces of the biocover in search of invertebrates. — FishBase
History and naming	V. moorii is the only member of the genus Varibilichromis, as well as a member of the tribe Lamprologini. It had previously been in the genus Neolamprologus, but in 1985, Colombé & Allgayer created the new monotypic genus Variabilichromis in order to account for a more ancestral supra-orbital bone structure. This was rejected by Poll's (1986) classification, but supported by Stiassny (1997). — Wikipedia (community-edited)

Data and studies

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Adult length

Average of sources4in

FishBase 1644.1

Seriously Fish species profiles 1673.9

Maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.

Water temperature

Average of sources74–80°F

FishBase 16475–79

Seriously Fish species profiles 16773–81

Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.

pH

Reported7.5–9

Seriously Fish species profiles 1677.5–9

Water hardness

Reported8–25dGH

Seriously Fish species profiles 1678–25

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

No federal law singles out this species for private keepers. State and local rules still apply.

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Not covered by the Animal Welfare Act

The Act only covers warm-blooded animals. Reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates have no federal care standards, even at licensed facilities; state and local rules may still apply.

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Has a Seriously Fish aquarium species profile
FishBase records it in the aquarium trade (Aquarium=commercial)
2 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of aquarium fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Types and features of aquatic systems Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional diseases of fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
Seriously Fish — Neolamprologus multifasciatus Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
Seriously Fish — Tropheus moorii Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.