Blue Johanni are African Cichlids originating in Lake Malawi.  They are classified as Melanochromis Johannii.  They are very similar to but a distinct species from Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos (formerly Melanochromis maingano).  The Johanni males have light blue on a black background, while the females are orange.  For Mainganos, both males and females are black/blue and they have more of a striped appearance.  The Mainganos tend to be a bit smaller than johannis too.  Johannis should not be kept with Mainganos, as they produce hybrids.  The striping effect for Johannis is not that similar to the Blue Ahli and it is an mbuna, which is a smaller, more aggressive cichlid.  The juveniles are a bright yellow/orange regardless of their sex.  They will eat flake foods, algae based flake foods and cichlid pellets.  Do not feed live worms or live brine shrimp, as these can bloat and kill the fish.

Although one of the less aggressive mbunas, Blue Johanni are very territorial, aggressive fish, even more so than Haplochromis Cichlids like the Blue Ahli.  They need large swimming spaces, so a 75 gallon tank is recommended.  Although some recommend using underground filters, external filters and bio-wheels  simultaneously to maintain quality, my experience is that underground filters are not suitable for mbunas.  They build nests (see picture) by picking up rocks in their mouth and moving them, so underground filters are quickly exposed in an mbuna tank. Rocks and other hiding areas should be provided and there should be little or no gravel.  They enjoy plants, but will destroy them.  A grouping including more than 10 mbunas is recommended, as it tends to reduce aggressive tendencies in a larger grouping.

It is preferable to have several females for each male.  The male will attract the female for breeding.  Up to 50 eggs are fertilized externally before the female picks them up to brood in her mouth for a period of approximately two weeks.  This protection makes it easy to breed them in a community tank.  Move the female to a separate tank just before she releases the brood.

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