Mbipia lutea was known as Xystichromis sp. "carp". Seehausen & Bouton described the genus Mbipia with 2 species, Mbibia lutea and Mbibia mbipi in 1998. Mbipia lutea has yellow flanks and an orange colored dorsum. It inhabits the holes inside the sheltered rock reefs from 1 to 2 meters deep, eating insects larvae and predominantly blue green algae. It has a wide distribution throughout Lake Victoria but is thought to be more confined to rocky substrates. This species also exhibits a few differences at the various locations so crossing two populations of this species is not recommended. The strain we have in the hobby originates from Makobe Island in the Speke Gulf. It reaches a size of 14 cm when adult with a strong temperament so one should avoid keeping it in a tank less than 90 gallons for a colony. A 55 gallon tank is too small in my experience with this fish as it easily dominates the other fish in my tank.
Pronunciation: Refer to our Pronunciation Key for an explanation of the phonetic symbols.
Habitat: This is the primary location where the cichlid is found and is a generalization. This does not mean a fish cannot be found in other habitats.
Diet: Many cichlids specialize in eating one type of food; notwithstanding, some of these specialized feeders are flexible and can be opportunistic feeders.
Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tankmates that are of a different species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to various factors, including aquarium size, tankmates of similar appearance, stocking levels, and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Conspecific Temperament: This describes the overall demeanor of a cichlid toward other tank- mates of the same species. Consider that there is variability in temperament due to such factors as aquarium size, stocking levels and order of introduction. There may even be some variability among individual specimens.
Maximum Size: This is in regards to total length (including the tail) of typical aquarium specimens. Wild specimens may not attain this size, or may in fact grow larger than aquarium raised individuals due to various factors. Also consider that this is the typical maximum size and there are exceptional individuals that will exceed it.
Difficulty:
This measure is a relative value, comparing a single species against all
other cichlids.
This only accounts for maintanence in the aquarium and not breeding
considerations.
1 = easy and forgiving, 5 = extremely challenging.
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