Mbuna (pronounced Mmm-boo-nah ) is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for a large group of African

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

s from

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, () is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is ...

, and are members of the haplochromine tribe within the family

Cichlidae Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

. The name ''mbuna'' means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi.Loiselle Paul V. (1988) ''A Fishkeepers Guide to African Cichlids.'' p 97. Salamander Books, London & New York, . As the name implies, most mbuna are cichlids that live among the piles of rocks and along the rocky shores of Lake Malawi, as opposed to the utaka, cichlids that live in the open water or on sandy shores or soft substrates. Some species of mbuna are highly

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, although many are not. Almost all of the cichlid species of Lake Malawi, including mbuna and non mbuna such as the utaka, are believed to have descended from one or a very few species that became isolated in the lake. With rising water levels, new habitats could be colonized and the many isolated rocky outcrops allowed new mbuna species to form.Givnish, T.J.; and K.J. Sytsma, editors (1997). Molecular Evolution and Adaptive Radiation, p. 598. . Their striking colors, intriguing behavioral characteristics, and relative hardiness make them very popular despite their unique demands for the home

aquarist An aquarist is a person who manages aquariums, either professionally or as a hobby. They typically care for aquatic animals, including fish and marine invertebrates. Some may care for aquatic mammals. Aquarists often work at public aquariums. They ...

Mbuna in aquaria

These cichlids are some of the most colorful

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

fish for the home

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

. Mbuna are very aggressive and territorial fish, they are not suitable for beginner fishkeepers. A suitable aquarium setting includes many rocks, adequate filtration, caves, and hiding places; plants may be uprooted, so they are best avoided, but a small number will work well in the aquarium. One of these is Java fern, which may become the object of mbuna aggression, but will not be eaten due to an undesirable taste.

Social behavior

Mbuna exhibit strong social behavior and establish a clearly visible social hierarchy including well-defined and enforced territories. A dominant male maintains a spherical territory, only allowing females to enter this territory for breeding purposes. Overcrowding helps spread out the aggression caused by these territorial conflicts. They, like '' Astatotilapia burtoni'', are maternal mouthbrooders and breed readily in good conditions.

Water parameters

All species from Lake Malawi thrive in the temperature range of 77–84 °F. pH 7.5–8.4 is ideal with an almost pristine (near 0 ppm)

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

and

ammonium nitrite Ammonium nitrite is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the ammonium salt of nitrous acid. It is composed of ammonium cations and nitrite anions . It is not used in pure isolated form since it is highly unstable and decomposes i ...

content.

Notable mbuna cichlids

Many mbuna cichlids are regularly stocked and sold by pet shops. Some of the most common ones are the Bumblebee Cichlid or Hornet Cichlid ('' Pseudotropheus crabro''), Golden Cichlid ('' Melanochromis auratus''), Electric Yellow or Yellow Lab Cichlid ('' Labidochromis caeruleus''), Red Zebra Cichlid ('' Maylandia estherae''), Blue Zebra Cichlid ('' Maylandia callainos''), and Blue Johannii '' Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos''. Many of these species are considered to have large territorial needs and aggressively defend these territories. Cichlids belonging to any of the genera listed below are considered mbuna. 190px, ''Pseudotropheus'' "acei" *'' Abactochromis'' Oliver & Arnegard 2010 *'' Chindongo'' Shan Li, Konings and Stauffer, 2016 *'' Cyathochromis'' Trewavas 1935 *'' Cynotilapia'' Regan 1922 *'' Genyochromis'' Trewavas 1935 *'' Gephyrochromis'' Boulenger 1901 *'' Iodotropheus'' Oliver & Loiselle 1972 *'' Labeotropheus'' Ahl 1926 *'' Labidochromis'' Trewavas 1935 *'' Maylandia'' Meyer & Foerster 1984. (syn. '' Metriaclima'' Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg, & McKaye 1997 M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. (2002) ''Maylandia, Metriaclima or Pseudotropheus?'' from www.malawicichlids.co

/ref>) *'' Melanochromis'' Trewavas 1935 *'' Petrotilapia'' Trewavas 1935 *'' Pseudotropheus'' Regan 1922 *'' Tropheops'' Trewavas 1984 The list below includes groups of nonmbuna mouthbrooding cichlids from

. * Peacock cichlids ('' Aulonocara'' species) * Utaka cichlids * Other genera such as '' Rhamphochromis''

References

External links