African Cichlid – Daktari Cichlid (Metriaclima sp. “daktari”) 5cm

The Daktari Cichlid comes from  between Undu Reef and Liutche in Lake Malawi, Africa.

The Daktari Cichlid is a relatively small, elongate mbuna. The Tonga people of Malawi named these fish Mbuna, as that term  means “rockfish” or “rock-dwelling”. This name aptly describes the environment these fish live in. They inhabit rocky areas full of cracks and crevices, as opposed to being open water swimmers like the Utaka cichlids and other “haps”. There are 13 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities of Mbuna cichlids. Males usually are yellow with black edges on their tail. In some populations yellow/blue or even solid light blue males are found. Females are beige or yellowish also with the black edges on the tail. Apparently “daktari” is the Swahili word for doctor.

The Daktari Cichlid is one of the smaller Mbuna but with the typical elongated, muscular body shape. In the wild Daktari males only reach about 10 cm and females are smaller still at about 8 cm, but they can grow slightly larger In captivity. Being a smaller cichlid makes it easier to house. This cichlid also has a decent temperament if kept in a properly set up and maintained aquarium. With its striking colour and ease of breeding, it is a great addition to a Mbuna cichlid tank.

Though easy to moderate to care for, the Daktari is not a general community tank specimen. It should not be housed with fish other than cichlids. A minimum sized tank of 200L that is at least 120cm long, will be suitable for one male and several females. A decor providing many hiding places as well as open space for swimming is needed for success. Multiple passageways and caves can be formed with piles of rocks.

Like other Mbunas, they may dig so make sure the rocks sit on the bottom of the aquarium not on the substrate. Arranging the rocks in a manner to make “territories” will help ease aggression, as will keeping them in a larger aquarium with other Mbuna species. Success is dependent on the aquarists willingness to do frequent water changes, have sufficient hiding places, and provide appropriate tank mates.

These fish like the areas between the sand and rock, yet near boulders where they feed on auwfuchs and other vegetation. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks. “Loose” Aufwuchs can contain insect larvae, nymphs, crustaceans, snails, mites and zooplankton.

The Daktari is an omnivore that in the wild feeds on auwfuchs and other vegetation. In captivity they need vegetable matter which provides fibre in their diet to keep their intestinal tract disease free. Feed a high quality flake, pellets, spirulina and other preparations for herbivore cichlids.

It is always better to feed them small amounts several times a day instead of one large feeding. This keeps the water quality higher for a longer period of time. Of course, all fish benefit from added vitamins and supplements to their foods. It would not be wise to house this fish with other genus of cichlids that eat beef heart or other mammal meat, as these foods will cause intestinal infections and death in these fish.

Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. Have an established filtration system along with water changes of 10% to 20% a week depending on the bio load. Malawi bloat is a typical disease especially if their dietary needs are not met with quality foods. It is caused by too much protein matter.

• Water Changes: Weekly – Water changes of 10-20% weekly are suggested, depending on the bio load.

The streams that flow into Lake Malawi have a high mineral content. This along with evaporation has resulted in alkaline water that is highly mineralized. Lake Malawi is known for its clarity and stability as far as pH and other water chemistries. It is easy to see why it is important to watch tank parameters with all Lake Malawi fish.

Rift lake cichlids need hard alkaline water but are not found in brackish waters. Salt is sometimes used as a buffering agent to increase the water’s carbonate hardness. This cichlid has some salt tolerance so can be kept in slightly brackish water conditions. However it not suited to a full brackish water tank. It can tolerate a salinity that is about 10% of a normal saltwater tank, a specific gravity of less than 1.0002.

Gravel makes a good substate and the addition of crushed coral can help keep the pH up. A very slow acclimation to different pH levels can sometimes be achieved. Crushed coral or aragonite sands do tend to dissolve easier than salts. Keeping a higher pH however, means that ammonia is more lethal, so regular water changes are a must for these fish.

Provide lots of passageways and caves formed with piles of rocks. Some open space is appreciated as well. Like other Mbunas, they may dig so make sure the rocks sit on the bottom of the aquarium not on the substrate. Arranging the rocks in a manner to make “territories” will help ease aggression.

The Daktari can be bred in captivity. It is a mouthbrooder that needs a harem. They should be given a tank of at least 200L to breed in if kept by themselves, larger if kept with other cichlids. Start with 6 to 8 small fish and in 10 to 12 months the dominant male will colour up and take over. They breed like other mouthbrooding Mbunas and the females are very good at holding their young. Mbunas spawn in the male’s territory. The male changes his colour to an intense exaggeration of his original colouring that almost looks like a double exposed picture.

The Daktari female will lay between 10 – 60 eggs and then immediately take them into her mouth. The male will then flare out his anal fin which has an ‘egg spot’ patterning. The female mistakes the patterning for her own eggs and tries to take them in her mouth as well. This stimulates the male to discharge sperm (milt cloud) and the female inhales the cloud of ‘milt’, thus fertilizing the eggs.

In 14 to 21 days at about 82° F, the eggs are developed. The released pinkish-tan fry are good eaters. In about 5 days you can change over to crushed flake food. They can also eat finely powdered dry foods and brine shrimp nauplii. The female will guard her young for a few days, even taking them into her mouth if there is a perceived threat. As long as you have plenty of hiding places, your young will have a easier time surviving until they are too big to eat.

• Species – Metriaclima sp. “daktari“
• Common Name – Daktari
• Origin – Lake Malawi
• Diet – Omnivore/Herbivore
• PH Range – Alkaline 7.5 – 8.5
• Water Type – Hard
• Temperature – Tropical 24°c
• Breed Type – Mouth brooder
• Current Size – approximately 5cm (Grows to approximately 10cm)
• Sex – Un-sexed