African Rift Lake Cichlids are among the most colorful, active, and hardy freshwater fish in the aquarium hobby. Their colors rival those of many saltwater fish, and their elaborate mating and brood care behavior are fascinating to watch. If you're looking for brightly colored freshwater fish with loads of personality, African Rift Lake Cichlids might be just the fish for you!
Origin and Types
Most Rift Lake Cichlids originate in Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika, with a few species native to Lake Victoria in East Central Africa.
- Mbuna: Known for their aggression and herbivorous diet.
- Peacocks and Haplochromines: Generally less aggressive but tend to grow larger.
- Tanganyikan Cichlids: Offer a variety of species, including shell-dwellers and rock-dwellers.
Aquarium Setup
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Aquarium Size
- Choose an aquarium of at least 75 gallons for a mixed community of Mbuna rock dwellers, Peacock cichlids, and other medium-sized species.
- Dwarf Julidochromis, Lamprologus, and Neolamprologus from Lake Tanganyika can be kept in aquariums of 20 to 30 gallons.
- Larger species such as C. frontosa and C. moori will need an aquarium of at least 125 gallons as adults.
- Because most African cichlids are territorial, the aquarium should have a large bottom area relative to its volume.
Lighting
Live plants are not part of an African cichlid display, and the fish prefer more subdued light, making standard aquarium lighting more than adequate. Color-enhancing bulbs can help accent your fishes' natural colors but are not essential.
Substrate
Standard aquarium sand or gravel can be used, but crushed coral, coral sand, or crushed oyster shell will help maintain the proper pH and alkalinity to support good health and color in your African cichlids. A 1" to 2" bed is best, as many species love to dig!
Read also: African Cichlid Stocking Tips
Décor
The African cichlid aquarium should have plenty of rockwork, caves, and other hiding places to create needed territories. Limestone and dolomite rock will help maintain proper water chemistry, but virtually any rock or artificial décor is suitable. Rinse all decorations before placing them in your aquarium.
When decorating your aquarium, position rocks directly on the aquarium bottom and add substrate around them to prevent stacked rocks from tumbling and damaging the tank if your cichlids burrow under lower ones. Add enough rockwork and other décor for the first few fish but leave room to add more as you add new fish.
Avoid using driftwood, as it may cause an undesirable lowering of pH and alkalinity. Think of it as a freshwater reef and you will soon know how to create it. Make sure that the rocks are safe for your fish; a rock with jagged edges can cause injuries, only sue the smoothest rocks that you can find.
To assist building your rock formation, I found milliput to be an invaluable epoxy to hold the rocks together.
Plants
Live plants other than Anubias, Java Fern, and perhaps Hornwort are not practical, as most African cichlids will dig them up, and Mbuna, being herbivores, will often eat them. If you wish to have plants in your African cichlid aquarium, choose artificial. I have never added plants to a Malawi set up but if you wish to do so use hard plants like vallisneria, anubias or cryptocorynes.
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The roots will need protecting from attack, this is done by placing small pieces of rock around the base of the plants, preventing the fish from burrowing into the roots.
Water Parameters
Temperature
Most African cichlids do best at temperatures between 74° and 80°F. Large African cichlids can be rough on heaters, so it's best to use plastic-coated ceramic or stainless steel models as opposed to glass to avoid breakage and a potential electrical hazard.
pH and KH
pH should be maintained between 7.8 and 8.4 for Lake Malawi fish and 8.0 and 9.0 for Lake Tanganyika fish. KH should be between 10° and 20° dKH. Always use Aqueon Water Conditioner or similar water treatment when filling your aquarium or performing water changes.
The pH of the water should be kept at a lower reading of 7.8, and anywhere up to 8.5. Malawi need hard water, the GH should always be above 10, keeping the KH to at least 8 will ensure more stability of the pH.
If you are having problems keeping your pH to the required levels then this probably means that the KH of the water is too low. One of the easiest methods of raising this is to add to your tank water sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), this should be done as slowly as possible. Raising the KH will stabilize the pH of the water to the required level.
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If low pH is a recurring problem, one of the reasons could be that the water flow is too low.
Filtration
A robust filter with strong mechanical filtration capability is a must with Rift Lake cichlids as many species love to dig, stirring up debris. Hang on back (HOB) filters are suitable for aquariums up to 75 gallons, but canister filters are preferred for larger tanks. Choose a filter rated at least one size larger than your aquarium and use multiple filters on tanks larger than 90 gallons. Generally, a combined flow rate of at least 10 times the aquarium volume is recommended.
As mentioned earlier in the article, the filtration in a Malawi set up has to be very high. Five times the tank volume is the least amount of water flow per hour that is required. With all of the burrowing and food consumption that is taking place there will be a lot of suspended detritus floating about in the water. This needs to be pulled out by the filters very quickly.
I would recommend using two external filters so that the water flow is spread evenly across the tank; the other advantage is that twice the media can be added to them.
Feeding
Mbuna cichlids are mostly herbivores, while Peacocks, Haplochromines, and many Tanganyikan cichlids are carnivorous. Aqueon flake, granule, and pellet foods make an excellent diet for virtually all African Rift Lake cichlids. Frozen and freeze-dried foods are also recommended, but avoid feeding tubifex and bloodworms, as many Rift Lake cichlids cannot digest the high-fat content in these foods. Do not feed live feeder fish to your African cichlids, as their nutritional value is limited, and they can carry diseases.
Research the dietary needs of your fish and choose foods accordingly. For Mbuna, allow algae to grow on rocks and other décor as this provides them with a constant supply of natural food.
One of the biggest problems with Malawi fish is Malawi bloat disease, this is caused by giving the fish the incorrect diet and is very difficult to treat. Mbuna require a vegetable diet. Pellets and flake food is alright for these fish, supplement it with some spirulina as well. Non Mbuna are omnivores.
Stocking
Once the temperature is set and a water conditioner has been added, allow your aquarium to run for 48 to 72 hours before adding fish. Here are some helpful tips to make sure stocking your aquarium goes smoothly:
- Start out with juvenile fish. They will be less aggressive and more accepting of one another as they grow to adulthood.
- When adding new fish, add new rocks and/or rearrange existing decorations to create new hiding places that have not been claimed by existing fish.
- Ask your local aquarium expert about the aggression level of each species before you buy them.
- Add less aggressive species to the aquarium first and progressively aggressive species as time goes on.
- New additions should be at least the same size as the largest or most aggressive fish already in the aquarium.
- When mixing closely related or similar-looking species, try to add them to the aquarium at the same time to avoid dominance from established fish.
- Never add a smaller member of a species already living in the aquarium.
- Adult African cichlids are less inclined to quarrel when you crowd them just a little, so don't be afraid to stock a little heavily. Just make sure you have adequate filtration and don't add too many fish at a time in a newly set up aquarium.
- Only add one male of a species if females are present to avoid severe aggression.
Breeding
Many species of African cichlids are mouthbrooders, and some species can be quite prolific. After spawning, the female carries her eggs and newly hatched fry in a special pouch in her mouth. Eventually, baby fish can be seen darting among rocks and other decorations, and a few will grow to adulthood. For intentional breeding, set up male/female pairs in an appropriately sized aquarium.
If your tank is kept in optimum conditions with high water quality there should be no problem getting all of the species of Malawi to breed. Feed the fish well and they will spawn on a very regular basis.
A lot of the fry will be eaten by the tank inhabitants if the females are left in the main tank, to prevent this if you are interested in breeding properly, the mother fish should be moved to another tank until the fry have reached a juvenile age.
Nearly all of the Malawi cichlids are classed as mouth brooders. The female will lay her eggs on either the rocks or on the substrate in the tank, the male will then pass over the eggs and fertilize them.
After 2 weeks of mouth brooding the female will release the fry into the water, at this stage they are free swimmers, completely able to feed themselves. Most of the females will still protect their fry for several days, she will scoop them into her mouth at any signs of danger, this will also take place in the evening as the fish are getting ready to rest.
If the mother has been moved to a separate tank, leave her in their for at least 2 weeks while she is carrying the eggs, trying to net her beforehand can result in the eggs being swallowed or eaten.
When the female was stripped of fry it meant she was netted after the first two weeks of producing the fry and then her mouth was forced open. This would fool the fry into swimming out into the water, as the fry were free swimming, they could be left in a rearing tank to develop.
Food should be offered at least 4 times per day initially, as the fry progress, probably two weeks later is adequate, move them onto baby fish food or tetra growth food two to three times per day.
Water changes are very important for the fry, anything up to 90% per week for the first two weeks, drop this down to 75-80% for the next two weeks. As with all fry that are produced the first 4 weeks are the most important times in their development.
After the initial 4 weeks the water changes can be reduced further, right down to 50% per week for the next 4 weeks.
