Malawi Mbuna

Melanochromis auratus.  Photo By: Andy

In Lake Malawi there is a group of Cichlids called the Mbuna which in African means rock dweller. They are very hardy, and extremely colourful. But their care in the aquarium is a little different to most fish. These fish by nature are very aggressive and territorial if you were to try and keep them in the normal way many fights would break out leading to injury or even death. Fortunately overcrowding the fish can overcome this aggression.

For tropical fish stocking levels, I still use the old method of 1" of fish to 12 sq. in of water surface. But with Malawi Cichlids I use 1 in of fish for every 8 sq. in of water surface. At the stocking density it is very important that you include extra filtration and aeration, because these fish cannot tolerate poor water quality. Lake Malawi is huge (almost oceanic) because of this, the environment is very stable. So the fish that live there are not accustomed to changing water quality. The water itself is very hard and alkaline; so in order to keep these fish in good health in the aquarium the following conditions should be applied pH 7.5 to 8.5, GH 12, KH 12, ammonia, and nitrite should both be nil, and nitrate kept below 15 PPM. And the temperature should be between 76 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

In nature these fish eat a lot of algae, it is their staple diet, water borne insects are also consumed. In the aquarium they will eat almost any prepared food, but you should include some vegetable matter in their diet, spuralina flake is ideal. It is worth mentioning at this point, be careful not to over feed these fish, because they will eat everything that you give and could end up being obese. As mentioned earlier the stocking level is critical with these fish, if there are too few fish there will be a lot of aggression, if there are too many fish they will feel stressed, and it is unlikely the fish will successfully breed in both these instances. Somewhere in between these two levels lies the optimum. Once this has been achieved there will be little aggression and these fish will become extremely prolific. Lots of rock work is essential to use as hiding places, and a refuge for fry, it is also important that only one male of each species is included otherwise they will fight over territory and females.

If this is going to be your first attempt at keeping Malawi Cichlids, try and avoid some of the larger more belligerent species. I'm afraid I can't go into too much detail about individual species because there are simply too many, but the following account can be applied to almost all Malawi Mbuna. Whichever species you choose, try to get one male for every two or three females. And try to keep species that look dissimilar. Because of the nature of these fish there may be a point, as the fish get bigger, when you have to intervene. This is because occasionally one male will become hyper dominant. When this happens the male will have to be removed and replaced with a younger, smaller male. These fish as I said earlier are extremely prolific and require no incentive to breed.

As the breeding begins, the male will usually claim a small territory. He will then begin displaying, he does this by erecting all of his fins, and vibrating his body in front of the female. At this time his colours will be greatly intensified. If the female is ready to spawn, she will follow the male back to his territory. The pair will then begin circling each other, and the female will begin laying eggs. As soon as she has laid some eggs she will pick them up in her mouth, (all these fish are mouth brooders) to ensure that the eggs are fertilised the male has some egg spots on his anal fin (these are spots that are the same size and colour as the eggs) the female tries to pick up these egg spots, and has she does so, she picks up sperm from the male.

The Eggspots on the anal fin of a Golden Zebra Male.

This goes on until all the eggs have been laid. Once the spawning is over the male will chase the female away. At this point you should do nothing. If you attempt to catch the female and place her in a tank of her own she will probably spit the eggs out. There are two options, you could leave the female where she is, and provide lots of little hiding places so that some of the fry will survive, or you could wait for a week to ten days and then remove the female to a separate tank. By waiting, you have given the female a chance to bond with the eggs and she will not spit them out. Do not leave it any longer than ten days though, because by catching the female after this length of time, you risk injuring the fry. The baby fish are usually released from their mother's mouth after approximately 28 days. They are quite large and can be fed on finely ground flake food as well as brine shrimp & Cyclops. There is no need to remove the female immediately, As she presents no threat to the young, it is best to allow her to recuperate because she has had no food for a month. In most instances there will be two or three dozen fry. These fish will also cross breed. If this happens do not sell any of the cross bred fish under any circumstances. As this will ruin the bloodlines of those particular species. This article covers the vast majority of Mbuna, but there are exceptions. As always you should check before you buy.

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