Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Genus:	Maylandia
Biotope:	Intermediate habitat with relatively sediment-free rocky areas. The species prefers rockier sections of the intermediate zone and avoids heavily sedimented substrates.
Geographic distribution:	Northwestern coast of Lake Malawi, occurring in the intermediate habitats at Ngara, Mdoka, and Chesese.
Typical adult size:	Males up to 12 cm total length, females up to 9 cm.
Recommended aquarium size:	At least 300 liters, with a minimum aquarium length of 140 cm.
Aquarium setup:	Provide plenty of rocks with numerous hiding places to allow the establishment of territories. One male should be kept with at least three to four females, although larger groups are possible, such as three males with nine females. Keeping this species together with other robust algivorous mbuna is recommended to help spread aggression.
Diet:	Herbivorous algivore. It feeds mainly on algae and diatoms and browses from the aufwuchs, although it is not a strict aufwuchs specialist.
Aggression:	Highly aggressive within the species and very temperamental. Generally more tolerant toward other species, but still a dominant and assertive mbuna.
Special notes:	This species belongs to the kingsizei group and closely resembles Maylandia sp. ‘zebra mbowe’, with which it shares similar morphology and behavior. Despite this resemblance, no intermediate populations between the two species have been found. Maylandia sp. ‘zebra long pelvic’ is widespread within its range, but it is absent at Chewere.