Rift Lake Cichlids
Geologically, the Rift Lakes of Central Africa are very interesting but not unique. It’s the flocks of cichlids in lakes Tanganyika and Malawi that has drawn scientists to their shores for the past 80 years. We all remember Darwin’s finches from high school biology. Isolated on the Galapagos Islands, they evolved over time to exploit every niche open to them. These lakes are the islands’ inverse. Their fish were equally isolated in the distant past and allowed to proliferate. As competition for food became more intense, they adapted to form an intricate jigsaw puzzle of survival. At least one biologist has called the Rift Lakes, “Darwin’s dream ponds”.
Finding more information about African cichlids is not a problem. Sorting through everything available might be. What follows is a very abbreviated list of resources beginning with the most old fashioned form: books.
Ad Konings has devoted his professional life to studying cichlids from both Malawi and Tanganyika. Most of his titles are available through the Cichlid Press, online at cichlidpress.com. Tanganyika Cichlids in their natural habitat and Malawi Cichlids in their natural habitat are the bibles. Besides being incredible picture books, they explore each niche where cichlids reside and describe how they live together. They are indispensable for anyone seriously involved with the fish. Two other books, The Back to Nature guides to Tanganyika Cichlids and Malawi Cichlids are less expensive with equally good photography but much less text.
There is a great magazine called “Cichlid News” which is devoted to cichlids in general but always with a plentiful helping of articles on Africans. Subscription details available at cichlidnewsmagazine.com
Finally the online resources: cichlid.org is the home of the American Cichlid Association- the largest specialty aquarium club. Full use of the site requires a membership to the ACA. Benefits include, on alternating months, a publication (The Buntbarsche Bulletin) and a trading post. cichlid-forum.com is a huge site with over 31,000 members. On it you’ll find articles, a trading post and discussion boards. nycichlids.com was started by a group of dedicated hobbyists as an online club. They come from all over the Northeast and meet a few times a year for field trips.
As anyone who has googled “African cichlids” knows, this is the tip of the iceberg. There is a huge community of cichlidophiles out there willing to share knowledge.
