This is a list of African cichlid species that are commonly kept by aquarists.
| Cichlid breeds | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pic | Common name | Species | Lake | Size | Aggression | Level | Description |
| Red Zebra | Pseudotropheus estherae | Malawi | 5 inches | Moderate | Mbuna | Very common in shops. Strangely, neither red, nor striped | |
| Red Peacock | Aulonocara hansbaenschi | Malawi | 5 inches | Moderate | Utaka | Many variations | |
| Yellow Lab | Labidochromis caeruleus | Malawi | 6 inches | Minimal | Mbuna | ||
| Zebra Obliquidens | Astatotilapia (Haplochromis) latifasciata | Kioga | 4 inches | Minimal | Utaka | Often sold as haplochromis obliquidens from Lake Victoria (but is not) | |
| Msobo | Metriaclima Msobo | Malawi | 6 inches | Minimal | Mbuna | Males are blue, females yellow | |
| Blue Acei | Pseudotropheus Acei | Malawi | 6 inches | Moderate | Mbuna | Swims on the top, even though a mbuna | |
| Christmas Fulu | Xystichromis phytophagus | Victoria | 6 inches | Minimal | Mbuna | Spectacular male mating colors | |
Another African cichlid is a Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) which is commonly found in Lake Tanganyika. It grows to about 10-14 inches has minimal aggression and is stripy.