Wild Cichlids of Lake Malawi

Go fin-to-fin with the wild mbuna cichlids of Lake Malawi! A guide for African cichlid hobbyists for authentic aquascaping and the provision of natural lake elements.

See wild 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘴, 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴, 𝘈𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘢, 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢 and many more cichlids in their natural habitat: the Great African Rift Lake known as Lake Malawi!

The native Chewa people of Malawi call their colorful cichlids 'mbuna' meaning 'rock fish'. Over 800 species have been identified in Lake Malawi, which hosts up to five times more cichlid species than the next great African Rift Lake, Lake Tanganyika, which hosts 'only' 200 cichlids.

Mbuna are unique because most never stray far from their rocky territories, living in relative isolation from other rocky formations which may only be 20 or so meters away. These conditions have spawned an incredible diversity in cichlid species, color morphs and forms.

This video features Rift Lake Reef habitats and is the first of a series of videos showing the various habitats of Lake Malawi. In the pipeline are videos of sand and mud beds, reed and eelgrass meadows, plus shallow water rock pools.

Taken by explorer Gregg Yan in and around Monkey Bay and Cape Maclear at the southern half of Lake Malawi in Central Africa.

Dive guides are Felix Sinosi and Dave Zakaria of SCUBA Shack in Cape Maclear. Dive support provided by Mufasa Eco Lodge in Monkey Bay. Cameras and accroutements by Ngoc Dinh Le and Ike Dimacali. Original music by Giddes Chalamanda and Namadingo.

Please feel free to share with proper credits (Gregg Yan / 2022).

Видео Wild Cichlids of Lake Malawi канала Tiger Yan