Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Maylandia greshakei 'Makokola'<br><font color=gray>Metriaclima greshakei 'Makokola'<br></font>

Genus:	Maylandia
Type locality:	Makokola, Lake Malawi
Biotope:	Sediment-rich rocky habitat. The species inhabits depths of approximately 15 to 30 meters and remains closely associated with large rocks that provide shelter and spawning sites.
Geographic distribution:	Endemic to Makokola Reef in the southeastern arm of Lake Malawi.
Typical adult size:	In the wild, males reach about 14 cm total length and females about 10 cm. In the aquarium, males may grow to 17 cm or more.
Sexual dimorphism:	Adult males have a cobalt-blue body and head with a bright orange dorsal fin. Females are light brown and also possess a yellow to orange dorsal fin.
Recommended aquarium size:	400 liters for a community aquarium. A species tank with one male and several females can be maintained in smaller volumes.
Aquarium setup:	The aquarium should be dominated by rockwork forming numerous caves and hiding places. Each male requires access to suitable shelters for territory defense and spawning. The species is best kept with other robust mbuna to help distribute aggression.
Diet:	Herbivorous mbuna feeding mainly on algae scraped from rocks (aufwuchs) and on plankton in the water column. In nature, plankton forms a large part of the diet, especially for non-territorial individuals.
Breeding:	Breeding males defend territories centered around caves among the rocks. Females may occur singly or in foraging schools and spawn inside the male’s cave. Females are maternal mouthbrooders and release the fry after an incubation period of approximately three to three and a half weeks.
Aggression:	Generally relatively peaceful for a mbuna, with aggression mainly directed toward conspecifics. Territorial behavior intensifies during breeding.
Special notes:	This species is restricted to a single reef and was assessed as Vulnerable due to its narrow distribution. It is popular in the aquarium hobby, yet remains common at Makokola Reef because it is not heavily targeted by fishermen and is difficult to collect among rocks. Unlike its close look-alike M. mbenjii, no OB polymorphism has been recorded.