Many species of rock-dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi – the so-called Mbuna – live on isolated places. These place are often many miles away from other suitable habitats. This geografic isolation leads comparatively fast to local colour morphs.
Other species of cichlid from Lake Malawi are not that much specialized and can live in a great variety of habitats. Consequently these species can be found all over the lake. Although even in these species some slight tendencies for local colour morphs are recognizable these differences are rather marginal. For example in Sciaenochromis fryeri: specimens collected in the south of the lake tend to have rather reddish anal fins while the conspecifics from the north have rather yellowish anal fins.
The sport „Iceberg“ has been bred by selection. The ancestors of the „Iceberg“ were individual mutants found near Maleri Island. This was more than 20 years ago. Nowadays the „Iceberg“ is among the most popular species of cichlid from lake Malawi. Currently we have very nice animals (6-8 cm long, which is almost half grown) in stock which are full in colour. However, only the dominant male has the ice-blue coloration all over the body, while in subdominant males this coloration is rather restricted to the forehead and the dorsal fin. This is quite interesting, for the initial intention to breed this fish was a simple aesthetic one; now it shows up that this coloration also serves for interspecific communication.
For our customers: the fish have code 574303 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
