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The Aragonite or coral sand can always be placed into a mesh bag and kept inside the external filter for buffering purposes. Although a substrate of coral sand or Aragonite is often recommended to help to keep the water hard and alkaline, Mbuna feel safer and show better colours over a darker substrate. These structures should be built with the purpose of creating many crevices for the fish to explore but constructed in such a way so as to keep the rocks stable if the fish start to dig around and underneath them. Décor such as ocean rock can be used to build sturdy structures which stretch from the base of the tank to near the surface of the water. The aquarium should be at least 4ft long and aquascaped to emulate that rocky reef effect. It belongs to the Mbuna group of cichlids. However, the true "correctness" of the classifications is still highly debated and those three genera are still used interchangeably to refer to the same fish in some references.In the wild, this stunning species is found over rocky habitats where it feeds mainly on the phytoplankton in the water column. In 1997, the new Metriaclima genus was created as a proposed "more correct" genus to replace Maylandia. Many of these fish were originally classified in the Pseudotropheus genus but the "Zebra" group was separated into the Maylandia genus created in 1984.
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One of the most affected groups are the fish from the genera Pseudotropheus, Maylandia, and Metriaclima. ** Note about scientific naming: As African cichlids are continually being discovered and redescribed, many scientific names have been changed over time. Visit That Fish Blog for more information from our marine biologists and aquarium staff on African cichlids and many other topics! Wood tends to lower pH and is not usually recommended for African cichlid aquariums. Substrates can range from the whitish coral sand used in saltwater aquariums to black freshwater sand or even regular decorative gravels. Rock "piles" and shelf-like backgrounds are common designs and can be made from tufa rock, lava rock or slate. Several other groups of cichlids can also be found from these lakes, some of which can be large and aggressive predators research all choices carefully.ĭecor for a Malawi/Victoria aquarium should be very rocky. Mbuna cichlids tend to be more aggressive and may bully the usually more passive Peacocks but some Mbuna cichlids are far more aggressive than others. While aggression and compatibility can vary from species to species, mixing Mbuna and Peacock cichlids is not usually recommended. Two of the most popular groups of these cichlids are the "Peacocks" (mostly the Aulonocara genus) and "Mbuna's" (native term for "rock fish" and including the genera Pseudotropheus, Labidochromis, Maylandia, Melanochromis and others). As with all cichlids, they are very territorial and will not tolerate other cichlids around "their" crevice. They seldom stray far from the rocky bottoms and sides of the lake and will quickly dart into the rocks to hide. Most cichlids in both lakes are rock-dwellers. Several hundreds species of cichlid are found in Lake Malawi, along with many regional variations, but Lake Victoria has far fewer due to the introduction of invasive predators. Malawian and Victorian cichlids are similar in care and temperament, leading to fish from these two lakes being grouped together in the hobby. They are one of the most popular cichlids exported due to their bright color and lively behavior. The Red Zebra, Metriaclima estherae, has solid yellow-orange coloration, and males may show a faint blue sheen.