why are tanganyikans so much cooler than malawis?

[pudgeking]

And why are malawis so much more popular?

I don't know if its just me, but I find nearly all tanganyikan cichlids to be awesome and fascinating. Meanwhile, I find the malawi cichlids to be boring as hell. Does anyone feel the same way?

To try to answer my own question, it probably has something to do with the fact that lake tanganyika is for cichlids what the galapagos islands are for finches: an evolutionary hotspot that causes a high level of speciation and diversity, circumstances that encourage species to develop highly specialized niches, and all that. Because of this, there is simply more variety among tanganyikans and more interesting behaviors.

My second guess is that many of the tanganyikan cichlids seem to be highly structure oriented, and it is simply a personal preference of mine that I like benthic fish, cave dwellers, etc.

Obviously, the malawis are common because they are active and brightly colored, but to me they're just lame in comparison.

Even the most common/plain tanganyikans like brichardis and leleupis tend to really capture my interest, while similar-colored malawis are just bright fish to me... I think it has something to do with the body shape.

Does anyone think that there is something odd about this - that the fish from one of the rift lakes are so aesthetically/behaviorally appealing to me, while the fish from the other rift lake are pretty much uniformly boring? Could be I just don't know enough about malawi's, but... ehh

Any malawi-centric fans out there who want to engage in a totally senseless argument?

 

[spadoc79]

why do you come on here trying to start sh*t?

 

[Dayvydp]

personally I like both, throw in your Lake Victoria and Madagascar cichlids and its love

 

[sledge760]

Agreed on the Tang's. Very cool.

 

[COG Commando]

To try to answer my own question, it probably has something to do with the fact that lake tanganyika is for cichlids what the galapagos islands are for finches: an evolutionary hotspot that causes a high level of speciation and diversity, circumstances that encourage species to develop highly specialized niches, and all that. Because of this, there is simply more variety among tanganyikans and more interesting behaviors.

And Lake Malawi isn't an evolutionary hotspot?? With more cichlid species than anywhere else on earth, I'd call it a hotspot.

My second guess is that many of the tanganyikan cichlids seem to be highly structure oriented, and it is simply a personal preference of mine that I like benthic fish, cave dwellers, etc.

And this isn't true of Malawis either??

Lake Malawi cichlids tend to be imported and bred far more readily than their Lake Victorian and Lake Tanganyikan counterparts. Thus, they are more often seen in pet stores and local fish stores than the others.

 

[wantokeeptrout]

I like tanganyikans but they don't compare to the haplochromides. I am not a big fan of mbuna which I think you are referring to but I have to admit the variation in haplochromides and, to a lesser extent, peacocks is astounding considering they are all descended from a single genus. Plus the big predators of malawi are easier to keep in home aquaria then boulegechromis microleps which is the only really big predatory tang I know. The fish that changed my mind from setting up a tang tank to a malawi tank was dimidochromis compressiceps, amazing hap, colorful and full of personality.

 

[Dylz]

tangs for the win!

 

[sun catfish]

tangs for real i think its because they dont go back and forth in the front of the tank and actualy use there tank as a envierment lol i also like the more wrasse like shape of the julies and alot of the other fish there. i also dont like how hard it is to get a non hybrid malawi fish that has a pure blood line while tangs we keep them pure for the most part. and if it is a hybrid you reconize it instantly as a hybrid for tangs, malawis it seems there are 20 different but the same colbolt blue zebras and ect. but the one thing i love about malawis, the peacocks they are amazingly colored and love the body shape of them

 

[wrslrcichlid]

It definitely is personal preference. Mbuna do have more color from what I have seen (I will add that I have never personally kept tangs, but have some friends that do) so that is probably one of the biggest draws. I actually have people that come over and think I have a saltwater reef tank - obviously they don't know anything about fish and I quickly correct them and try to give them a little education. Also, I believe mbuna are a bit more hardy making them easier to keep - and then obviously keep them alive. Tangs can get finicky (from what I have been told). Also, since mbuna are more widely available there is the unfortunate occurrence of hybrids (I will add I don't have a personal problem with hybrids but they should not be sold or given away). It can be difficult to get pure bred species, but there is still a wide variety of beautiful fish to choose from. As tangs become more popular I am sure hybrids of certain species will become more of a problem.

As far as behavior I can't really comment because I have never kept tangs, but I like the behavior of my mbuna. Yes they are definitely opportunistic feeders, making them always "greet" you when you walk near the tank but when you sit back and watch they do much more than just swim back and forth. I like how they tend to their personal areas of the tank moving the sand around and if anything gets out of place they fix it almost immediately. One of my males won't even let waste (the little bit that stays in the tank) be in his territory. He will promptly mouth it and spit it out elsewhere - keeping his area clean. It is also interesting to watch them mate and see the hierarchy of males that develops. When you mix in the haps it just gets better. The mbuna stay around the rocks, swimming in and out of them, while the haps stay in the open water. It is just a great mixture of behavior.

To finish, my comments are not to be taken as me saying mbuna are better than tangs (or vice a versa). It is more "to each his own." In the future I hope to keep some tangs (and possibly even some lake victoria cichlids). When I entered the world of cichlids I didn't even know there were different types of african cichlids. Each lake has different things to offer and many will obviously have their personal preference.

Now to respond to a few other people:
spadoc - could the OP have worded his question better to try and ensure it wasn't taken negatively? Yes, but your response is still uncalled for. the person asked an honest answer - either give an opinion that is worth reading or don't comment.

Commando - you are right on the money. Lake Malawi has way over 500 endemic species (they have identified over 500, but are still working to identify countless others), dwarfing Lake Tanganyika which has about 250. Lake Victoria, the largest of the three lakes, used to rival Lake Malawi with its biodiversity but the introduction of Nile Perch decimated the number of separate species. To continue with your second statement, YES they are highly structured with the vast numbers of different species that can be categorized any number of ways. Tangs are highly structured and Malawi cichlids are highly structured. The real difference is between the lakes. Lake Malawi has many different biotopes (rocks, sand, reeds, etc.) while Lake Tanganyika is basically just sand.

Wanttokeeptrout - I love the compressiceps as well but don't currently have any. When I am able to move and add another tank I am thinking of building a tank around this species.

Sun catfish - since mbuna are more readily available and widespread hybrids are bound to occur. As tangs become more available the same will happen. It is unfortunate, but true. To say that mbuna just swim back and forth in the tank tells me you have never actually sat back and watched an mbuna tank for any period of time. They are opportunistic feeders (like most fish) which drives them to constantly "beg" for food (if you want to anthropomorphize them). After a short while they will ignore you and go about their normal behavior. If you have a large enough tank and keep them in good species groups you can watch their natural behavior (as natural as it can be in a glass box).

 

[pudgeking]

Lake malawi might have more species, but I think maybe less diversity in terms of different body shapes and specialized adaptations/behaviors. This may be just because all you see in the lfs is haps and mbuna, but I've never seen anything close to the variation between julies, lamprologines, altos, shell dwellers, and frontosas, for example.


Most malawi tanks you see in stores are overcrowded mbuna or hap tanks, which may be why I have a similar impression of mbuna as sun catfish did, that the mbuna just swim around in the front of the tank. It also may account for my impression that as far as malawis go (esp with mbunas), its pretty much "same fish, different color." Malawi cichlids seem to all have a very "standard" body shape