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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Petrotilapia flaviventris 'Lumbaulo'.jpg Protomelas sp. 'steveni imperial' Lumbaulo.jpg Tropheops sp. 'red fin' Lumbaulo.jpg
Previous pageTropheops sp. 'red fin' Lumbaulo
Genus: Tropheops
Biotope: Occurs in rocky and intermediate habitats, from shallow water down to at least 35 m. Considered a species of deeper areas and rarely recorded in water shallower than 10 m.
Geographic distribution: Western coast of Lake Malawi from Hora Mhango to Mara Rocks, and eastern coast from the Ruhuhu River (Tanzania) to Lumbaulo (Mozambique).
Typical adult size: Usually 9–11 cm TL in imports, growing larger in aquarium conditions.
Sexual dimorphism: Males are larger, with longer fins and larger anal ocelli. Males show brown-red to ocher coloration with faint vertical barring, varying to intense orange-yellow. Females are beige with a yellow to lemon-yellow anal fin and a black submarginal band in the dorsal fin, which may disappear in dominant males.
Recommended aquarium size: An aquarium volume of around 300 L is suitable, and a minimum tank length of about 1.5 m is required to maintain more than one active male.
Aquarium setup: Provide abundant shelters such as rocks, flat stones and similar structures arranged over sandy patches to allow territory formation.
Diet: Feeds primarily on aufwuchs and also takes food from substrate and sediment layers deposited on rocks. In aquarium, a diet rich in vegetable matter is required.
Breeding: Maternal mouth-brooder. Males excavate a pit beneath a stone or defend spawning sites between or alongside rocks. Courtship involves displaying and quivering movements before leading the female to the spawning site. Incubation lasts about 3 weeks.
Aggression: Territorial but comparatively peaceful within the genus. Males defend territories against conspecific males and may guard areas at the base or surface of rocks.
Special notes: Belongs to the romandi group. Despite the name “red fin”, the anal fin of females is typically yellow to lemon-yellow. The provisional name originated from early taxonomic confusion in mixed material.

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Photo: © Ad Konings
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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