By John Wong (nick: RazorBlade)

Prologue

I find Malawi Reef Lake cichlids being among the easiest fishes to breed. They all reach sexual maturity quickly. They LOVE to spawn non-stop (once they start, they won’t stop!). They also have a sizeable brood. However, Malawi cichlids may not cooperate sometimes when it comes to breeding. There are a myriad number of reasons, some of which I try to highlight in this article. Some of the successful methods I’ve used are highlighted below too.

Intro

In case you haven’t realized, Malawi Rift Lake cichlids are mostly “maternal mouthbrooders”. Basically, mouthbrooders keep their fragile eggs in their mouths! The term “maternal” means that the females are the ones keeping their eggs in their mouths. “Holding” refers to the period when the female is keeping the eggs in their mouths. Holding periods range from 3 to 4 weeks (21 – 28 days), depending on the fish type.

For spawning to occur, you need at least a male and a female of the same fish. All Malawi Rift Lake cichlids will need to reach sexual maturity before they spawn. As a guideline, sexual maturity occurs at the following age:

Mbunas – 6 months to 18 months
Haps – 12 months to 24 months
Peacocks – 24 months to 36 months

When the female is ready, there usually is a slight bulge near her anal fin – the eggs! The male would notice it too, and proceed to lure the female to the spawning area. The spawning ritual commences! First, the male starts colouring up, flaring for the female and luring her to a spawning area. Next, the spawning dance – the female lays her eggs one at a time, the male fertilizes it, the female picks it up in her mouth, and the process repeats. Spawning could last for as short as 10 minutes to over 30 minutes!

The female will be holding for 3 to 4 weeks before releasing the fry. Broods can range from as little as 20 fry to 100+ fry depending on the fish size – the bigger the fish type, the larger the brood (usually). Generally:

Mbunas have 20-40 fry
Haps 20-100+ (some Haps are HUGE)
Peacocks 20-80

__________________
~ John ~
I am a Malawi Fan!