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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Tropheops sp. 'membe' Mbweca Rocks.jpg Tropheops sp. 'membe' Ndomo Point.jpg Tropheops sp. 'membe' Tumbi Point.jpg
Previous pageTropheops sp. 'membe' Tumbi Point
Genus: Tropheops
Biotope: Rocky habitat within the intermediate zone.
Geographic distribution: Occurs around Likoma Island and along the Mozambique coast between Mala Point and Tumbi Point. Also present at the southeastern point of Thumbi West Island, where it was introduced during the 1970s.
Typical adult size: Up to 13 cm (males) and 10 cm (females).
Recommended aquarium size: An aquarium volume of 300 l and a minimum tank length of 120 cm are recommended.
Aquarium setup: Provide abundant rockwork with numerous hiding places to allow weaker individuals to retreat and reduce intraspecific aggression.
Diet: Herbivorous; feeds by scraping algae from aufwuchs and searches for relatively sediment-free patches of biocover on rocks.
Aggression: Aggressive within the species, but generally tolerant toward other species.
Special notes: Member of the romandi group. Occupies the same ecological niche as Tropheops sp. ‘red fin’ in more northerly regions of the lake and closely resembles it in behaviour. Females lack a black submarginal band in the dorsal fin, which distinguishes them from those of T. sp. ‘red fin’. Territorial males occur at shallow depths, recorded down to about 3 m at Likoma, and population density is reported to be high compared with known populations of T. sp. ‘red fin’.

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