Setting Up A Lake Malawi Cichlid Tank

Introduction
So you have finally decided to keep Lake Malawi cichlids but have yet to set up a tank that will house these beautiful fish. Well, you have come to the right place. This short article is meant to discuss the main elements of a Lake Malawi cichlid tank and to overview the requirements that these fascinating fish need to stay healthy, display good colour and even breed in the home aquarium!

Water chemistry
Let's start with the water, the most important part of keeping lake Malawi cichlids is getting and maintaining the water hardness and the pH.
The water chemistry in the great rift lakes is very alkaline and hard so you will have to maintain this in the home aquarium. One way to do this is to use a substrates like coral sand (crushed coral) which is very high in calcium, and will release this over time to help maintain hard water and high pH.

Controlling Aggression
One of the main problems with keep lake Malawi cichlids is Aggression.
This can be attributed to three good reasons;

1: Because of the abundance of food within the lake itself, when a fish finds a good feeding spot, let's say a growth of algae, It will want to keep it for itself and therefore defend it fiercely.

2: Because of the interest in breeding and reproducing, the fish is going to feel Aggression towards others of the same sex and species.

3: Territoriality is the key to survival in lake Malawi, as I stated before when a fish finds a good feeding spot/territory It will want to keep it for itself and intruders will be aggressively chased away.
Aggression is the only way to let other members of that particular community of fishes know that its your 'zone' if you like, because once a fish finds a good home/territory it can't afford to lose it to another fish, and if it does the chances of finding a new one are slim.

Breeding in the aquarium
Lake Malawi fish are relatively easy to breed, even for the novice aquarist.
Lake Malawi cichlids belong to a unique group of fish known a 'Mouth brooders'
Mouth brooding refers to the fact that these fish will hold there eggs/fry in their mouths until they are big enough to defend them selves.

The proses starts when the male will court his female with aggressive behavior and dominance over the other fish, the female will then dig holes in the sand/gravel and lay her eggs in them.
The dominant or Alfa male will then deposit his sperm in the holes and fertilize the eggs.
The female will then scoop up the eggs in her mouth until they hatch.
When they do hatch they will be aloud to swim freely but the mother cichlid will never be far away and any sign of danger and she will scoop them back in to her mouth were they will be safe.

Thanks for taking time to read this article
and I hope you enjoy your lake Malawi aquarium.

Gareth