LAKE MALAWI CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes ( Perciformes )
Family Cichlidae ( Cichlidae )
Subfamily ( Pseudocrenilabrinae )
Continued…
Genus Maylandia.
— Maylandia livingstonii [Boulenger, 1899] — Maylandia livingstoni. Synonym: Metriaclima, Tilapia, Pseudotropheus livingstoni. Lake Malawi, sandy biotopes. 15 cm, in aquarium 9 cm. Several populations of this species are known, differing in coloration and size. Main coloration is golden-sandy, grey-blue to violet, with 5-6 broad, often faintly visible transverse stripes on the flanks. Dorsal fin rays are white to whitish-blue, interradial tissue light brown to black-blue, with an orange border.
Male is grey-yellow with vertical dark stripes on the body, with a violet or blue sheen. Gill covers and lips are blue. The male has a rich yellow-lemon throat and chest. The anal fin has 1-2 orange egg-spots. The female is less contrastingly colored, unpaired fins yellowish. A natural form north of Monkey Bay is known, being twice as small in size.
Aquarium with a sandy bottom, structures made of stacked flat stones with crevices and caves, as well as individual flat stones overgrown with algae. Large-leaved plants with a powerful root system can be planted, but since they sometimes dig in the substrate, plants should be potted and surrounded by stones.
Fish stay in the middle and lower water layers, relatively peaceful compared to other species. Males are territorial and aggressive, with a hierarchy observed among them. There should be several females per male, and the number of shelters must exceed the number of fish.
Water must be clean and changed weekly. Feed can include vegetable matter (which should make up the majority of the diet), live food, and substitutes. Fish are prone to dropsy. Mature at 10-12 months. Pairs form only during the spawning period. The female incubates eggs in her mouth. pH 7.2-8.5; dH 4-20°; T 24-28°C.
— Maylandia lombardoi [Burgess, 1977] — Golden Zebra Cichlid, Kenyi Cichlid, Lilancinius. Synonym: Pseudotropheus liliancinius, kenyi, lombardoi, Metriaclima lombardoi. (English – Golden Zebra Cichlid, Kenyi Cichlid). Lake Malawi, rocky areas. In aquarium 15 cm, females smaller. Body elongated, slightly compressed laterally, high back. Head large, eyes large, lips thick. Coloration depends on age and sex.
The main feature of this species is that males are bright yellow, while females are blue. The combination of blue females and yellow males is not found in any other Malawi mbuna species. However, captive-raised M. lombardoi females often acquire the yellow male coloration with age without losing their reproductive capability.
Males turn orange-yellow, transverse dark brown stripes extending onto the dorsal fin are weakly expressed, and the anal fin features 2-3 yellow-white oval egg-spots. Unpaired fins are light blue. The dorsal fin is pale blue with a white-bluish border, the caudal and anal fins are colored similarly, only without the border. The dorsal fin is long, with 5 dark spots.
At the same time, the more active the male, the more intense his yellow color, reaching its peak directly at the moment of spawning. In the pre-spawning period, dark transverse stripes appear on their flanks. Females remain pale blue with 6-8 black stripes on their flanks and may only turn slightly yellow with age, bearing a small round spot on the anal fin. Females can mimic male coloration during the breeding season.
Juveniles of both sexes have a lovely metallic-blue coloration, then in an intermediate stage, some fish acquire a golden sheen. As the cichlids reach sexual maturity, incredible color metamorphoses often occur: sky-blue fry turn bright yellow. These are future males coloring up. Females remain blue, often with transverse black stripes on the flanks. The anal fin often bears a single egg-spot.
The aquarium should mimic a rocky landscape with structures made of flat stones reaching the water surface, caves and labyrinths throughout their height for shelter, as well as flat stones. The number of shelters must exceed the number of individuals. Adult fish are territorial and claim large areas for defense, especially during spawning. In nature, fish defend a territory up to 5 meters in diameter. Males are aggressive towards each other and towards fish of similar coloration. Keeping them in a general aquarium with other peaceful cichlid species is acceptable, as such community may slightly reduce their aggressiveness.
A clear hierarchy is observed in the aquarium. They should be kept as one male and several females. They prefer lower water levels. A spacious aquarium with plenty of shelters, hardy plants with large rigid leaves and a powerful root system, yet sufficient swimming space, is required. It is best to plant them in pots and secure them well with stones. Algae-covered stones are recommended as decoration.
Very sensitive to water conditions; filtration, aeration, and weekly water changes are necessary. Fish feed mainly on plant matter, which should make up at least 60% of their diet. Planting species like Vallisneria, Limnophila, or Cabomba in the aquarium will serve as vegetable forage for them. Bloodworms and tubifex can be used as live food. The species is prone to degeneration on an overly rich diet.
Mature in 9-12 months at a length of 6-8 cm. Pairs are formed only for the spawning period. The female spawns in a pit dug by the male in the substrate or on a flat stone, then gathers the eggs into her mouth and hides in a shelter. Fry grow rapidly and reach about 2 cm by one month of age. Lifespan is about 7 years. pH 7.5-8.9; dH 12-22°; T 23-27°C.
Identification: Maylandia lombardoi — Maylandia lombardoi.
— Maylandia pyrsonotos [Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg & McKaye, 1997] — Nakantenga Red Top. Synonym: Metriaclima pyrsonotos. (English – Nakantenga Red Top, Red Dorsal). Lake Malawi, belongs to mbuna species. Inhabits only rocky biotopes free of sedimentary deposits. 8 cm. Body violet-purple with several stripes. Dorsal fin orange-red with a white stripe along the margin. Caudal fin orange-yellow with white stripes. Females and juveniles have a uniform brown coloration. Males of this species develop their beautiful coloration very late, at a length of 6-7 cm.
Maylandia zebra, Pseudotropheus zebra.
Maylandia fainzilberi, greshakei, hajomaylandi, lanisticola. 
