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This
is a bunch of my non-mbuna
cichlids. It is a lucky shot because very
rarely you can see all these Nimbochromis species
located at the same spot. You can see a male Nimbochromis
venustus with two of its females (left
part), a male Copadichromis azureus (center)
the female Nimbochromis polystigma (center,
top), the male Nimbochromis livingstoni and
the tail of the female Nimbochromis
livingstoni. Non-mbuna cichlids of Lake
Malawi are collectively called Haplochromines
(haps for short). These fish are larger
than the mbuna, less vividly colored (though this doesn't mean
colorless) and form the most diverse groups of Malawian cichlids.
Half
of them are omnivorous, one quarter are predators and the other
quarter are herbivore or filter feeder. They have an interesting and
varying behavior and are found in almost every habitat in the Lake
Malawi. In the aquarium they are generally less aggressive than the
mbuna provided all species kept are of the same size and temperament. The aggression is limited to spawning time and this is
mainly due to the fact that these species, in the natural habitat,
defend huge territories which they can't possibly have in the
limited space of any tank. In a tank like this one, each species
will find its own site and aggression will be kept to a minimum.
Males will chase the females around but aggression between different
species is kept well under control even between species very closely
related (like the Nimbochromis species in this photo). Their
movement in the tank is slower (compared to the nervous and
aggressive movement of mbunas) and far more majestic than the latter. This is partly due to their bigger size which gives a
different impression, since everything they do seems
"bigger". Their bigger size will limit the number of
individuals in any tank and this is a good reason why most hobbyists
prefer the mbuna species.
Another
problem is that, once your fish grow to their adulthood then you
can't introduce small fish in your tank since it will be regarded as
food and will be treated like food. This of course adds to the cost
of getting new fishes and needs your attention in removing your
carrying females in time. Practically, no fry will survive in such a
tank, no matter how many hiding places you have (another difference
to the mbuna tank). Spawning will take place easily if the water
chemistry is right and this is not difficult to be done. Another
difference is that you can expect really big broods since even 100
fry is not rare for grown up fishes. Sand is the gravel of choice
for the Haplochromines and can't be substituted by coral sand or
crashed oysters.
These
species like to play with the sand, move it around, create their
spawning sites, clean their gills with is, scratch on it. This is my
personal experience but it is highly recommended. Transferring,
washing and cleaning it is a difficult and time consuming task but
the result justify it. It took me 200 kilos of sand to cover the
bottom sufficiently and another 200 kilos of rock to create a barely
sufficient rockscape. Addition of Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
will buffer the water and bring the pH at around 8.0 (and, most
important, keep it there). Addition of Aquarium salt is up to you. I
use it but I know it wouldn't make much of a difference if I didn't.
Initially I also used the so called "water hardness
raising" stuff but after a month or so I stopped it. My fish
thrive even without it (if they even noticed it's absence). Feed
once per day for six days (I don't feed them on Sundays). Still they
look like overfed to me. I am thinking of taking one more day
without feeding.
Though
not herbivores they will definitely take some bites on your plants.
This is natural for species like Protomelas
but even classic predators will eat the soft edges of your plants.
They say that no cichlid will eat Vallisneria
gigantea but I can tell you from my own
experience that it has become a regular meal for all Protomelas but
it also a snack for Nimbochromis species which also like Corymbosa
top leaves. Just compare the Vallisneria in the initial tank photo
to the last one, and take into account that this plant has produced
10 more runners after the first photo. Vallisneria consumption
reaches its peaks during non feeding days, so it looks more like
changing their diet rather than fasting them. Seven months later,
the whole plant is consumed.
I
have included some photos and close ups of these species in this
site - enjoy them. |
