Maylandia estherae (the Red Zebra mbuna, Red Zebra Cichlid , or Esther Grant's Zebra) is a haplochromine cichlid. It is a rock dwelling fish or mbuna from Lake Malawi. This fish, like most cichlids from Lake Malawi, is a mouthbrooder - females hold their fertilized eggs then fry in their mouths until they are released after about 21 days. Taxonomy and naming The genus name for this fish was once Pseudotropheus but that name is now restricted to different fish. Most ichthyological taxonomists place the species in Maylandia, though Ad Konings and thus much of the aquarium-related literature use Metriaclima instead. The specific name of this fish honours Esther Grant, the wife of the cichlid exporter Stuart M. Grant. Distribution Maylandia estherae is endemic to Lake Malawi. Specifically, this species of freshwater tropical fish can be found along the eastern coast of the lake from Chilucha Reef near Metangula to Narungu. Description Females can grow up to while males will grow up to . Despite their "red zebra" name, this species is polymorphic and can be found with different colors. The normal color of wild females is beige to brown while males are typically bright blue. However, red-orange females (O morph) as well as blotched females (OB morph) can be found in certain localities. O morph males (found only at Minos Reef) are white-pink colored with a tint of blue in the fins. OB males (so called "marmalade cats") are extremely rare in the wild. Early exporters often selected the red females for the aquarium trade and used O-morph males to create a strain of orange-red males, making it the most commonly found variant from breeders and fish keepers. In the aquarium The males are territorial over the areas they prefer and those who reach dominance in an aquarium will pick on subordinate males and behave territorially in general. Like the other cichlids of this genus, they are best kept in a harem with one male to many females. Like any cichlid, it is recommended to house red zebra cichlids in rather large tanks with several other African cichlids. One should exercise caution when selecting tank mates because even if one takes care to only house a red zebra with other cichlids, South American cichlids and African cichlids are often unable to share a community tank in peace (though it is completely within the realm of reason for an experienced