African Cichlids-Mbuna

Here are some common cichlid species that are oftentimes available to be purchased. I have included their scientific names as well as their common names, which are mostly used to help find them in your local fish store. I have also included a picture of these colorful fish, their 'temperament' (whether they are aggressive or peaceful cichlids) and 'size'. This should help you in choosing African cichlids.

Metriaclima lombardoi (Kenyi) 

photo from tropicalfishandaquariums.com

Temperament: If taken from the wild they are very aggressive. If they are captive bred, then they are a little less aggressive.

Size: Up to 5 inches.

Lake Malawi Cichlids Natural Habitat

My site deals with tropical freshwater fish called African cichlids. I only deal with them and so I won't be discussing Central and South American cichlids at this time (but I may start a new blog about them at a later date!) But I do want to say that African cichlids and Central and South American cichlids are similar as tropical fish species but they are different enough that they should not be kept together in the same tank. The benefit is they can both be cared for in the same way but just not kept together. The most common species for home aquariums are the African cichlids and I have included a little bit of information in regards to the Lake Malawi cichlids natural habitat. They are extremely colorful and most are bred in captivity and so the price is cheaper for them and your tank parameters don't have to exactly match the waters of Lake Malawi because they are used to more normal water specifications. I specially like the Mbuna species and that is the type that I will be giving some background information on.

Lake Malawi, where the Mbuna cichlids originate from, is in east Africa and it is a very large and deep lake. It is roughly 360 miles long and ranges from 20 to 45 miles wide. Its deepest point is 2,300 feet. One of the really cool features of the lake is its visibility of the water. Visibility can be as high as 60 feet in many places because of the rocky lake bottom near the shores there is very little sediment to cloud the water. The north shore is shallow whereas the southern area of the lake is very deep. A lot of areas are