Cichlid Types...

[themissingelf]

I'm trying to get to grips with the different types of Cichlid - in particular African...

3 Lakes... Malawi, Tanganyika, Victoria (aka Rift Valley lakes?)

Malawi contains specie specifically known as Mbuna, amongst other popular Cichlid species?
Tanganyika contains many species of Cichlid?
Victoria species of cichlid are nigh on extinct but captive bred species exist?

Malawi tend to be larger?
Tanganyika smaller?

Malawi tend to be carnivorous?
Tanganyika herbivores?

Malawi more territorial and food fighters?
Mbuna as above amplified!?
Tanganyika less feisty (unless crowded)?

Malawi tend/should be stocked in high density?
Tanganyika should be stocked in lower density?

Malawi less expensive than Tanganyika?

Correct? What else?

Cheers

 

[darrel69]

3 Lakes... Malawi, Tanganyika, Victoria (aka Rift Valley lakes?)

Correct.

Malawi contains specie specifically known as Mbuna, amongst other popular Cichlid species?

Mbuna, Haps and Peacocks.

Tanganyika contains many species of Cichlid?

Yes, i.e, Shell Dwellers, Tropheus, Fronts ect..

Victoria species of cichlid are nigh on extinct but captive bred species exist?

Not sure about them being on the verge of extinction but captive bred do exist but not very common.. well at least where i am anyways.

Malawi tend to be larger?

Not necessarily.

Tanganyika smaller?

Some are, some not... Theres big and small in both lakes.

 

[darrel69]

Malawi tend to be carnivorous?

Tanganyika herbivores?

Malawi more territorial and food fighters?

Mbuna as above amplified!?

Few are, most are not.

Some are, some are not.

They're aggressive, but not more or less aggressive than some of other Lakes.

Most Mbuna are v.aggressive, yea.

Tanganyika less feisty (unless crowded)?

Malawi tend/should be stocked in high density?

Tanganyika should be stocked in lower density?

Malawi less expensive than Tanganyika?

Not necessarily.

Depends on tank size, species kept, taste ect..

Erm.. no. Where you got that from ?

Not nesserily.. depends on species, generation ect.

 

[kj23502]

Victoria species of cichlid are nigh on extinct but captive bred species exist?

That's correct for some of the species. I believe it's due to a predator introduction....some kind of perch-like fish?? I'll try to look it up.

This sounds like what I read before:

"It was because of this history of investigations in Lake Victoria that the disastrous effects of the introduction of Nile perch (Lates sp.) has become frighteningly obvious. The exact history of when and who introduced the Nile perch is a little murky, but the essence is that sometime in the 1950s the introduction was made in an attempt to increase fishery production. The thinking at the time was that a large predator would eat the smaller fishes (i.e., the numerous small cichlids), thereby concentrating their biomass into an easier-to-catch and more profitable product. Although it took a while to establish itself, eventually the Nile perch population exploded, decimating cichlid populations. In his book Darwin's Dreampond, Tijs Goldschmidt describes the dramatic reduction in cichlid numbers and, even more alarmingly, whole species, in the mid-1980s. By 1987, 100 of the 110 known species of haplochromines from the sublittoral zone had vanished."


http/www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=187

 

[themissingelf]

Thanks for the feedback. It's making more sense.

 

[mike os]

and dont forget the west african species too