Afra Cobue
The Cynotilapioa Afra Cobue or the Orange Black is found in the Lake Malawi. The Afra Cobue lives pretty deep in this lake on rocky areas and in open waters. Since the pH of this lake is between 7.8 and 8.5, this is also the best pH levels for your aquarium if you intend to keep the Orange Black.
The average Afra Cobue will grow to about 3.5” in length. The female’s body is rounder than the males. Even if both males and females are torpedo shaped you should notice a difference. The males are light purple/blue with black barring and orange coloration on the upper part of the body. The females are more light blue in coloration.
The Aquarium:
A good suited aquarium for Afra Cobue should have a sandy bottom and lots of caves. Since this is a pretty aggressive fish they need space to hide from each others. The temperature in your aquarium can range from 74 to 84 degrees and pH from 7.8 to 8.5.
Obtain Afra Cobue / Orange Black:
You can find this cichlid in most local stores for around $20-$40. It can also be bought online even cheaper. Here are some good deals right now.
 3 African Cichlids 2" Afra Cobue Live Tropical Fish US $12.99 Click here for more information |
If you didn’t find what you were after, use our search bar or check the store at African Cichlids for Sale.
Feeding:
You can feed them pretty much anything. A diet of mainly vegetables is the best. A good cichlid flake food is all they need. It’s never wrong to vary maybe once a week and add some earthworms to trigger the hunter in them.
Breeding:
The Afra Cobues are mouthbrooders and one male with 6-8 females is a good breeding group. Afra Cobue breeds about every 30 days and can carry 15-30 eggs.
Orange Blacks are easy to maintain and I would recommend them to any cichlid enthusiasts. If cared for and treated as most other cichlids they will spawn in your aquarium. A good beginner’s cichlid, nice to look at and fun behaviors to study.
Here is a nice video of an Afra Cobue chasing around. As you can see they are small in size but big in mind.