Our Mbuna cichlids continue to be a favorite. They’re animated, colorful, and very robust. Plus they have a lively time as they establish and reinforce their social structure in the tank and try to breed.



Probably the hardest thing about keeping them was convincing myself that all the rocks in the tank were really worth getting. But at this point it seems like a requirement for these little fish. They really do love having caves and places to hide. The other big hurdle was accepting the total lack of plants. I don’t think there are any plants we’ve tried that have lasted more than a few days. Even “tough” floating plants get torn to shreds. All they will tolerate is ivy roots that I have suspended in the water. And even then I’ve caught them trying to pull the rather large, mature ivy vines into the tank.