Malawi Cichlids

Malawi cichlids are the brightest, most colorful cichlids in the world. In fact, people often mistake them for saltwater fish due to this. While their color makes them attractive to those who like decorative tanks, those who prefer to watch fish for their behaviors are delighted by the most common method of fry rearing in the lake, mouthbrooding.

When a female lays her eggs, she almost immediately turns around and scoops them up to hold in her mouth until they hatch. In fact, sometimes she grabs them so quickly that the male doesn't have a chance to fertilize them. For this reason, many of these fish have 'egg spots' on their anal fins. These are little light colored circles on the end of the fin which the female identifies as an egg. When she goes to pick it up, she opens her mouth next to the male's vent, allowing him another chance to fertilize the eggs.

In the female's mouth, the eggs are much safer than they would be scattered in substrate or rocks. However, while the female is holding them (for about a month), she can't eat very much, or perhaps nothing at all. When the eggs have hatched and the mother feels secure, she will spit the fry into a rocky or otherwise protected area. Some species will keep the fry with them even after this, opening their mouths to offer refuge to the fry when danger is sensed.

Use the navigation bar on the left to browse through the species of Malawi cichlids that I keep.