General information about Malawi cichlids
Always enjoy Malawi cichlids consider aquarists a great popularity. The variety of fish from Lake Malawi is enormous, which is why many species are still offered in pet shops to this day. The fish from Lake Malawi are still popular with aquarists today. One reason for this could be the beautiful colorful variety of colors Pisces be. The attitude of most fish is also manageable. The social behavior is also interesting. All these things make Malawi cichlids interesting animals. The following are some more general facts about this breed of fisherman.
Lake Malawi
A total of three states lie on Lake Malawi. These are Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. The lake is 570 km long and 75 km wide. The maximum depth is 704 meters. The lake has always been known for its mouthbrooders. About 450 species of Malawi cichlid live in the lake. In addition to the Malawi cichlids, hippos also live on and in the lake. The shores of the lake become steeper towards the north. Different cichlids live in each region of the lake, which have adapted to the special circumstances. Whether all species of Malawi cichlids have been listed and explored in the lake to date is not entirely certain. Lake Malawi is considered to be the most species-rich lake on earth. A wide variety of fish have settled in the lake over many years.
mbuna
In aquaristics, Malawi cichlids that live in the shore regions are summarized under Mbuna. These are often referred to as rock dwellers. When setting up the aquarium, this circumstance plays an important role. The males of these species form territories and defend them. Often only a smaller cave is considered a territory. There are usually only a few plants in the shore regions, which is why there should only be a few plants in the aquarium. Well-known genera of these Malawi cichlids are, for example, Labidochromis, Pseudetropheus or Iodotropheus. There is often a strong current in these areas of the lake, which is why a current pump should be used in the aquarium. Because of their territorial behavior, there should be plenty of space in the aquarium. Another option is to create a species tank in which only one species of Malawi is kept at a time. Diet should also be considered. Malawians in this region feed mostly on growth on the rocks and small animals that are in it.
Non Mbuna
All species that live in open water are called Non Mbuna. So they live directly in the lake and are not tied to corresponding rocks or caves. The aquarium can be designed accordingly. Many of these species are so-called fish eaters and should be fed accordingly in the aquarium. Examples of genera are Ramphochromis.
Utakas
A special subcategory of the Non Mbunas are the Utakas. These usually live in open water. These species only go to the rocky region to reproduce. Setting up such an aquarium is correspondingly difficult and usually only possible with a lot of space. Most of these species feed on small crustaceans. Genera are for example Aulonocara or Protomelas. Fish that live in this region are usually relatively large, so there should definitely be enough space in the aquarium. The shape of these fish is also slightly different than that of Mbunas.
