Nine-bar Tropheops
Tropheops novemfasciatus
Also known as: Pseudotropheus novemfasciatus, Nine-banded Tropheops
Tropheops novemfasciatus is a Lake Malawi mbuna that hangs around rocky, sheltered bays in the shallows, where it grazes on algae and picks at the rock surfaces. It has that classic banded mbuna look (the name literally points to the bars), and it is the kind of fish that stays busy all day patrolling and browsing. Like most mbuna, it is way more fun (and less drama) when kept in a proper rock-heavy setup with a harem-style group.
The Nine-bar Tropheops showcases vibrant blue and yellow stripes along its body, contrasting with its darker dorsal and anal fins.
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Quick Facts
Size
9 cm SL
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Difficulty
Intermediate
Min Tank Size
55 gallons
Lifespan
5-8 years
Origin
East Africa (Lake Malawi)
Diet
Mostly herbivore/aufwuchs grazer - spirulina-based flakes/pellets, algae wafers, and occasional veggie-based frozen foods; go easy on meaty/high-protein foods
Water Parameters
22-26°C
7.5-8.5
10-25 dGH
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Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give them a rocky Malawi-style setup with lots of tight caves and broken lines of sight - they calm down when they can duck out of view fast. Sand is nicer than gravel since they love picking at the bottom and around rocks.
- Keep the water hard and alkaline: shoot for pH 7.8-8.6 and steady temps around 76-80F. They hate swings, so do regular water changes and run strong filtration with good flow and extra aeration.
- Feed like an mbuna: mostly veggie-based foods (spirulina flakes, algae wafers, blanched spinach/zucchini) and let them graze. Go easy on high-protein stuff like bloodworms or fatty pellets or you will be flirting with bloat.
- They are pushy, especially males, so plan for a larger footprint tank with lots of rockwork and keep 1 male with a few females if you want less nonstop drama. Avoid slow, long-finned fish and most peacocks - they will get bullied or stressed.
- Best tankmates are other tough mbuna that like the same water and diet, but do not mix with super similar-looking Tropheops/blue-barred fish unless the tank is big because the males will fixate. Overstocking can spread aggression a bit, but only if your filtration and water changes keep up.
- If you see a female holding (mouthbrooding), she will stop eating and hide more; you can move her to a calm holding tank or just let her ride it out in the main tank if there are enough caves. Fry are big enough to take crushed flakes and baby brine right away once she spits.
- Watch for Malawi bloat (stringy poop, swollen belly, refusing food) which usually comes from rich foods or dirty water; fix diet first and step up water changes. Also keep an eye on shredded fins from rock disputes - it is a sign you need more hiding spots or to reshuffle territories.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Other Malawi mbuna with similar attitude and size - think Labidochromis caeruleus (yellow labs) or Iodotropheus sprengerae (rusties). They can handle the pushiness, and nobody is too delicate.
- Zebra-type mbuna that are used to rockpile life, like Metriaclima (Maylandia) estherae or M. callainos - works best in a bigger tank with lots of rocks and broken sight lines.
- Cynotilapia afra (or similar 'afra' types) - they scrap a bit but it is the same kind of mbuna sparring. Stock a group and spread the heat around.
- Pseudotropheus acei - they tend to cruise more and are not constant rock-pickers, so they are a nice 'different vibe' mbuna that still won’t get bullied into hiding.
- Synodontis catfish (like S. multipunctatus or S. petricola) - tough, armored, mostly minds their own business, and cleans up without caring about mbuna drama.
- Fast, hardy dithers that can take hard water and chaos, like giant danios (only if your tank is big and you like a mixed look). They stay out of the rock fights and help keep everyone less jumpy.
Avoid
- Peacock cichlids (Aulonocara) and other calmer open-water Malawi fish - nine-bar Tropheops are rock-territory jerks and will hassle them nonstop, especially if the peacocks are smaller or more mellow.
- Haps (most Haplochromines) that want more open swimming room - they get stressed when mbuna are constantly nipping and defending caves, and it turns into a bad time fast.
- Slow or fancy-finned fish (angelfish, guppies, bettas, etc.) - fins look like targets and they cannot deal with the chase-and-nip routine.
- Other super-hothead mbuna in tight quarters (like Melanochromis auratus) - you might get away with it in a big tank, but in normal setups it is a brawl waiting to happen.
Where they come from
Nine-bar Tropheops (Tropheops novemfasciatus) is a Lake Malawi mbuna. Like most Tropheops, it comes from rocky shoreline zones where it spends the day picking at algae and all the tiny critters living in it. If you set your tank up like a pile of sun-baked rocks with a buffet of algae films, you are basically speaking their language.
Setting up their tank
Think rocks first, everything else second. These fish want structure and sight breaks. A big open box with one decoration turns into a punching arena fast.
- Tank size: 55 gallons is a decent starting point, but 75+ makes life easier (more rockwork, more territory options, less nonstop chasing).
- Rockwork: stack it into caves, shelves, and narrow gaps. I like making 2-3 separate "rock islands" so a bullied fish can actually get away.
- Substrate: sand works great. They will mouth it and spit it, and it looks right for mbuna.
- Filtration: go bigger than you think. Mbuna are messy eaters and you will probably stock on the heavier side.
- Flow and oxygen: moderate to strong. They come from wave-washed areas and appreciate moving, oxygen-rich water.
- Water: hard, alkaline Malawi-style water. Stable matters more than chasing a specific number.
Build the rock pile on the bare tank bottom (or on egg crate), then pour sand around it. Mbuna dig, and you do not want a rock slide.
Lighting can be whatever you like, but a bit brighter helps grow some natural algae on the rocks, which keeps them busy. Just keep up with maintenance so the tank does not turn into a green soup.
What to feed them
These are grazers, not little piranhas. The best results I have had are with a mostly plant-based diet and small portions more often.
- Staple: quality spirulina-based flakes or pellets made for mbuna/herbivores.
- Variety: blanched zucchini, spinach, or peas once in a while (peas are great if anyone looks a bit backed up).
- Protein: keep it light. Occasional small treats like brine shrimp are fine, but do not make it the main course.
- Feeding rhythm: 1-2 small feedings a day beats one big dump of food.
Avoid heavy, meaty diets (lots of bloodworms, beefy pellets, etc.). That is where you start seeing Malawi bloat and mystery deaths that feel like they came out of nowhere.
How they behave and who they get along with
They are classic mbuna: busy, opinionated, and always sorting out who owns which rock. A dominant male will claim a cave or a face of rock and patrol it like he is getting paid.
- Temperament: moderately aggressive. Not the worst mbuna, but not a mellow community fish either.
- Best groups: 1 male with 3-5 females works well if you can sex them correctly.
- Stocking style: either keep them in a planned harem setup, or in a larger mixed-mbuna tank where aggression gets spread out (with lots of rocks).
- Good tankmates: similarly sized mbuna with comparable attitude (other Tropheops, some Labidochromis, many Metriaclima-type fish).
- Tankmates to skip: very peaceful fish, slow fish, long-finned fish, and anything small enough to be constantly bullied.
If you are mixing mbuna, watch for look-alikes. Similar body shape and similar stripe patterns can trigger extra aggression because they read each other as direct rivals.
One practical trick: add new fish with the lights off and after a small feeding, and shuffle a few rocks around if you are introducing a new male. Breaking up existing territories saves you a lot of drama.
Breeding tips
They are maternal mouthbrooders. If they are happy and well-fed, breeding usually happens without you trying that hard. The male will pick a spot, shimmy and display, and the female will hold the eggs in her mouth.
- Spotting a holding female: she stops eating (or pretends to chew and spits), her throat area looks fuller, and she hangs back more.
- Holding time: roughly 3 weeks give or take, depending on temperature and the individual fish.
- Fry survival: in a mixed mbuna tank, most fry get eaten unless you intervene.
- Options: move the holding female to a quiet tank, or strip the fry if you are comfortable doing that (not required, but common with mbuna breeders).
- First foods: crushed spirulina flake, tiny pellets, and baby brine shrimp as a treat.
If you move a holding female, give her a simple setup: sponge filter, a couple of rocks/PVC pieces, and low stress. Chasing her around with a net is the fastest way to make her spit early.
Common problems to watch for
Most issues with Nine-bar Tropheops come down to stress, diet, or bullying. You will know fast if the social balance is off because someone will be hiding in a corner looking shredded.
- Bullying and fin damage: usually fixed by more rocks, more sight breaks, removing the worst offender, or adjusting the male-to-female ratio.
- Malawi bloat: swollen belly, stringy white poop, refusing food, hanging near the bottom. Often linked to stress and a rich diet.
- Ich after changes: common if new fish come in or the tank swings in temperature. Quarantine new arrivals if you can.
- Mouth injuries: they scrape lips and faces on rocks during fights. Clean water helps these heal fast.
- Hybridization in mixed mbuna tanks: if you keep similar species together, you may end up with mixed fry. Plan ahead if you care about keeping bloodlines clean.
If one fish is being pinned in the top corner all day, act quickly. In mbuna tanks, "give it a few days" can turn into a dead fish. Pull the victim or the bully and reset the rockwork.
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