Maingano

Water parameters

Tolerated range for this species. Aim for the middle of each band rather than the extremes.

Tank and habitat

Substrate: sand.

Behavior

Plant interaction: destroys most plants.

Feeding

Omnivore with herbivorous emphasis, like all Mbuna. Spirulina-based flake or pellets as the staple, supplemented with blanched vegetables (peas, zucchini, spinach) and occasional frozen food (brine shrimp, mysis). Limit high-protein foods, especially bloodworm, which is associated with Malawi bloat in Mbuna. Feed 2-3 small meals daily rather than one large feeding to reduce aggression at feeding time. They're fast, competitive eaters that outcompete slower tankmates.

Compatibility

• Aggressive Mbuna cichlid, more assertive than many similarly sized species. Males are territorial and chase conspecifics and similar-looking fish relentlessly.
• Keep in groups with a ratio of one male to 3-4 females. All-male tanks are not recommended for this species; males fight each other intensely. In a mixed Mbuna tank, mainganos hold their own but shouldn't be paired with the most aggressive species (Melanochromis auratus, M. chipokae).
• The deep blue body with pale horizontal stripes looks much like several other Melanochromis and Pseudotropheus species. Avoid keeping it with Pseudotropheus johannii or other look-alikes, since they fight and can hybridize.
• Standard Mbuna tank setup: overstocked moderately to spread aggression, abundant rock piles for territory boundaries and hiding spots, minimum 200 L for a group.

Origin and habitat

The maingano is a small, deep-blue mbuna from Lake Malawi, described by Bowers and Stauffer in 1997 as Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos and later moved to the genus Pseudotropheus by Ad Konings in 2005, so it is now usually listed as Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos. It has a very small natural range, restricted to the rocky and transitional shoreline around Likoma Island on the eastern side of the lake at depths of about 5 to 10 metres, and its common name comes from nearby Maingano Island. That narrow range and heavy collection for the trade have left it of conservation concern; IUCN assessments are cited variously as Vulnerable and as Critically Endangered. The fish is dark blue with bright pale-blue horizontal stripes in both sexes, which is the easiest way to separate it from the similar Pseudotropheus johannii, whose females are orange. It grows to about 7.5 cm standard length, reaching roughly 10 cm in total length, and is a maternal mouthbrooder.

Breeding

A maternal mouthbrooder that follows the usual mbuna routine. A male holds a territory over a rock or sand pit and courts females with lateral, quivering displays, and spawning uses the egg-dummy trick: the female lays a few eggs, takes them into her mouth, then nips at the egg-spots on the male's anal fin, which prompts him to release sperm that fertilises the clutch she is already carrying. She broods something like ten to twenty-five eggs for around three weeks without feeding, then releases fully formed fry that take crushed flake and baby brine shrimp. In a rocky community tank a few fry survive in the crevices; for a bigger yield the female can be moved to her own tank or stripped before release. Healthy groups spawn regularly.

Common problems

Malawi bloat is the main health worry, as with all mbuna; the swollen belly, stringy white waste, and loss of appetite can progress to organ failure, so the defences are a vegetable-heavy diet, clean water, and avoiding chronic stress from bad stocking. Hybridisation is the other persistent problem, since maingano will interbreed with related Melanochromis and Pseudotropheus species in a mixed tank, producing mongrel fry that muddy bloodlines; keepers either separate the species or accept the crosses. Aggression runs higher than in gentler mbuna such as yellow labs, and in a tank that is too small males lock jaws and tear fins, so plenty of rockwork and a sound male-to-female ratio matter.

Bioload

Further reading

• Stocking ideas by tank size