Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Genus:	Chindongo
Type locality:	Taiwanee Reef (Taiwan Reef), approximately 7 km northwest of Chizumulu Island, Lake Malawi
Biotope:	Sediment-free rocky habitat consisting of enormous boulders, many the size of houses, with very little small-rock structure. Inhabits depths of approximately 5–15 m.
Geographic distribution:	Endemic to Taiwanee Reef, a highly isolated rocky reef northwest of Chizumulu Island. The species occurs at this single locality only.
Typical adult size:	In the wild males rarely exceed 9 cm total length (most around 8 cm), females up to about 7 cm. In aquaria both sexes may grow larger, males up to about 12 cm and females up to about 10 cm.
Sexual dimorphism:	Males are blue with black vertical bars. Females and juveniles are uniformly yellow without bars, although stressed females may show faint barring.
Recommended aquarium size:	200 L; larger aquaria recommended if keeping more than one male.
Aquarium setup:	Minimum aquarium length of 120 cm. Provide extensive rockwork stacked high toward the back, forming caves and passages for territories and shelter. Fine sand in the foreground, optionally interrupted by single rocks. Best kept in groups (e.g. 3 males and 7 females) or as a harem (one male with several females). Avoid housing with larger, more robust mbuna.
Diet:	Aufwuchs grazer. Feeds on algae and associated microorganisms scraped from rock surfaces, including narrow cracks inaccessible to many other mbuna. In aquaria, provide a vegetable-based diet rich in algae and spirulina.
Breeding:	Maternal mouthbrooder. Males defend relatively large territories among the rocks. Females incubate eggs and larvae in the mouth for approximately three weeks before releasing the fry.
Aggression:	Males are aggressive toward conspecific males. Generally tolerant toward other species. Due to the relatively large territory size of males, it is usually best to keep only one male per aquarium unless the tank is very large.
Special notes:	A critically endangered micro-endemic species restricted to a single reef. Severe over-collection in the past has greatly reduced wild populations. Conservation efforts include captive breeding and reintroduction attempts.