So you have finally decided to keep Lake Malawi cichlids but
have yet to set up a tank that will house these beautiful fish.
Well, you have come to the right place. This short article is
meant to discuss the main elements of a Lake Malawi cichlid tank
and to overview the requirements that these fascinating fish
need to stay healthy, display good color and even breed in the
home aquarium! Let’s start with the water, the vital substance
your fish will be living in for their entire existence. Malawi
cichlids come from a rift lake in East Africa (Lake Malawi) that
is very much alkaline (pH 7.5 to around 8.8) yet has relatively
soft to medium hard water at best. (4-6 dGH and 6-8 dKH).
Therefore, an attempt should be made to replicate these
conditions in the home aquarium. There are several ways
attaining and maintaining a high pH can be accomplished. The
easiest, of course, is to have naturally high pH water coming
from the tap. Communities with high pH water benefit as higher
pH water tends to prevent the corrosi