Livingston's cichlid

Care at a glance

Overview

This is an ambush predator, so it will eat any tankmate small enough to swallow. Keep it in a big tank with open sand, some rockwork, and only similarly sized, sturdy fish, or on its own. Feed quality cichlid pellets along with frozen meaty foods. Avoid feeding live feeder fish, which carry disease. It is calmer than many Malawi cichlids day to day but should never be trusted around small fish.

In the wild

Livingston's cichlid lives over the sandy, rocky margins of Lake Malawi in East Africa, where its blotchy pattern blends into the substrate. The lake water is warm, clear, hard, and alkaline. Set up a large tank with open sand for it to lie on, some rock cover, hard water, and a pH around 7.5 to 8.5. Adults reach 25 cm and need room, so figure on 280 liters or more.

Good to know

Nimbochromis livingstonii is a predatory cichlid in the family Cichlidae and grows to about 25 cm. Its mottled brown-and-cream blotching is camouflage, not decoration. It is a maternal mouthbrooder. Wild populations are not currently endangered, though overfishing and habitat disruption are concerns.

Did you know

Livingston's cichlid hunts by playing dead. It lies on its side on the sand, looking like a rotting carcass, and waits for scavenging fish to come investigate. When one gets close enough, it springs up and grabs it, a trick that earned it the nickname "the sleeper."

Related species

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