Blue Dolphin Moori Albino Care Guide - Aquarium Tips & Breeding

Blue Dolphin Moori Albinos are a pale, selectively bred form of the Blue Dolphin Cichlid, also known as Cyrtocara moorii. Their light cream to pinkish-white body, red or pink eyes and characteristic rounded forehead give them a distinctive appearance, while the familiar dolphin-like profile becomes more pronounced as they mature.

The species has a deep, laterally compressed body and relatively large mouth. Standard Blue Dolphin Moori develop blue colouring with age, but the albino form lacks normal dark pigmentation, leaving the body much paler and making the shape of the head especially prominent.

In the wild, Cyrtocara moorii is associated with open sandy habitats and areas near rocky structure. It is a peaceful but substantial Malawi cichlid that often moves deliberately across the bottom, picking through sediment and following other fish to investigate disturbed food.

These cichlids are intelligent, alert and interactive, and many individuals learn to recognise activity outside the aquarium. Although generally less aggressive than many mbuna, mature males can become territorial, particularly when courting or defending a spawning site.

Blue Dolphin Moori Albinos are an albino colour form of Cyrtocara moorii, a cichlid native to Lake Malawi in East Africa. The species occurs around sandy and rocky areas of the lake, where it searches the substrate for food.

A group requires at least 300 litres, with a larger aquarium preferred for adult males or mixed Malawi communities. Aim for a tank measuring roughly 150 cm long by 45 cm wide or more, since swimming length and floor space are important. Use a fine sand substrate, arrange rounded rocks into caves and visual boundaries, and leave broad open areas for foraging. Secure all rockwork directly on the aquarium base before adding sand, and provide efficient filtration with strong oxygenation and stable, alkaline water.

Males can reach about 20 cm (8 in), while females are usually smaller at around 15–17 cm (6–6.7 in).

Offer a varied omnivorous diet based on high-quality cichlid pellets or granules, supplemented with spirulina-based foods, marine-style frozen foods, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and occasional finely chopped seafood. Feed modest portions once or twice daily, removing uneaten food. Avoid regular use of mammalian meat, which is unsuitable for Malawi cichlids and can contribute to digestive problems.

Blue Dolphin Moori Albinos can live with other relatively peaceful Lake Malawi haps and peacocks of comparable adult size and temperament, including Copadichromis, Placidochromis and suitable Aulonocara species. Avoid very aggressive mbuna, delicate community fish, slow-moving long-finned species and small fish that may be harassed or swallowed. Do not mix them with closely related Cyrtocara forms if preventing hybridisation is important.

Blue Dolphin Moori Albinos are maternal mouthbrooders. Use a group with one male and several females, provide a spacious sandy area or flat rocks for spawning, and condition the fish with a varied, nutritious diet. The female picks up the fertilised eggs and carries them in her mouth for around three weeks, during which time she may eat very little. Fry can be raised on newly hatched brine shrimp and finely crushed quality food. Avoid routinely stripping females unless there is a clear breeding-management reason, as natural brooding is less stressful.

Males are generally larger and develop a broader head, stronger forehead profile and longer, more pointed dorsal and anal fins. Females remain smaller and tend to have a less pronounced forehead and more rounded fin shape.