Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Cichlids - Malawi Types > Trewavas Red-Finned Cichlid

Trewavas Red-Finned Cichlid

Trewavas Cichlid ~ Redtop Cichlid Family: Cichlidae

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Labeotropheus trewavasae Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   The Trewavas Cichlid is truly an interesting cichlid with a knack for scraping algae off the glass as well as the rocks!

   The Trewavas Red-Finned Cichlid is probably one of the most popular and recognized of the Trewavas Cichlids. The male’s body is blue with the top dorsal fin being an orange to red. The Trewavas Cichlids are found in many differing locations in Lake Malawi, Africa which contributes to their diversified colors. These variations allow a colorful display, especially in a species specific tank. The shape of their nose is also unique and adds variety to the Lake Malawi Aquarium. It is always suggested to keep regional Trewavas Cichlids from breeding with others to keep true color strains in existence.

   They are considered moderate in care and not for beginners who do not have at least 55 gallons to provide. They are very sensitive to poor water quality and need a very clean environment. As with all cichlids, the Trewavas Cichlid can be easy to care for as long as water quality is kept high and appropriate foods are given. These fish need large amounts of vegetable matter and plenty of hiding places.

   The Trewavas Cichlid is in a group of cichlids called Mbunas. There are 12 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities. This fish was named after Ethelwynn Trewavas, who was a taxonomist at the British Museum and had extensive knowledge of the diversity of this fish. Other common names or different spellings these fish are known by are the Scrapermouth Mbuna, Red-finned Cichlid, Redtop Cichlid, Trewavas’s Cichlid, Utaka (even though this is a Mbuna) and Yellow Tumbi. They are also know by their locations or other colors such as Chilumba, Chlofu, Hongi Island, Maleri, Manda, Mara Rocks, Marmalade Cat, Mpanga Red, Ngkuyo Island, Nkhata Bay, Puulu Island, Thumbi West, and Tumbi Rocks.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

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Distribution:
   The Trewavas Cichlid was described by Fryer in 1956 and are found in Lake Malawi, Africa. They have numerous locations they inhabit within Lake Malawi and these many areas contribute to their diversified colors. Locations include Boadzulu, Thumbi West, Zimbawe, Mumbo, Nakantenga, Maleri, Nankoma Island, Namalenje Island, and Masinji Rocks. They are also found in areas from Chirombo Point to Nkhata Bay and then from Lion’s Cove to Chitande.
   They enjoy areas that range from sediment rich to sediment-free habitats. The Trewavas Cichlid males poorly defend their territories in the wild and will venture away from their territories for food. Females and young males are found alone or in small groups. They spend the day scraping algae off of the rocks and will also eat Aufwuchs. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks. Aufwuchs can contain insect larvae, nymphs, crustaceans, snails, zooplankton and mites.

Status:
   This species is listed on the IUCN Red List, but with the status of 'LC', meaning 'Least Concern'.

Description:
   Though at times the shape of the Trewavas Cichlid L. trewavasae is a little more slender than its very similar looking cousin the Fuelleborn's Mbuna L. fuelleborni, the depth they are found is the biggest clue as to their accurate species name. TheTrewavas Cichlid can be found in the same depths as the Fuelleborn's Mbuna, which inhabits the top 16 feet (5 m) of water. The difference is that theTrewavas Cichlid is found from 65 -112 feet (20 - 24 m), whereas the Fuelleborn's Mbuna is not. The Trewavas Cichlids also prefer larger rocks. Lake Malawi fish live an average of 6 to 10 years.
   The Trewavas Cichlid has a thick snout that protrudes over a ventral mouth, looking bulbous and hooked or “nose like.” This allows them to get at algae that other cichlids are not able to reach. The jaw of the Trewavas Cichlid angles down and back at a 165 degree angle. The top part of the jaw, near the “lip” area, has teeth that are flat for scraping and the teeth at the back part of the jaw are sharp. The bottom jaw consists of just a few teeth that are parallel to the top part of the jaw.
   All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.
   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense “smells” in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being “sampled” for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to “smell” the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

   The Trewavas Cichlid has many color variations, a few of the most colorful and popular are listed below. All males have eggs spots on their anal fin and most fish have numerous faint vertical bars that run the length of the body. Unless mentioned otherwise, all of the fins (except the dorsal) are generally the same color of the body. These are descriptions of the males, unless otherwise stated:

• Trewavas Red-Finned Cichlid: This cichlid is probably one of the most popular and recognized of the Trewavas Cichlids. The male’s body is blue with the top dorsal fin being an orange to red.
• Chiofu: This cichlid is a very light blue with the middle area being a pale yellow through the length of the body and a pale yellow dorsal.
• Chirwa: This cichlid is a golden yellow with the edges of all the scales tipped in light blue. The dorsal is light blue as well.
• Marmalade Cat: This cichlid is widely distributed, which is probably the reason for it’s coloring. The male has a base of light blue with mottling of dark blue. The fin is orange near the front and dark blue toward the back.
• Mpanga Red: This cichlid is located at Mpanga Rocks. The male is quite spectacular with a dark orange to red base with spattering of light blue and dark gold on some of the scales. All of the fins have light blue spines (bony part) with darker blue rays (fleshy part in-between the spines). The female is an opaque white color with the edges of maybe every 2nd or 3rd scale in the middle area of the body tipped in red. There are also a few faded black scales dotted here and there. All fins except the anal, which is orange with yellow tips, are the same color as the body.
• Thumbi West: This cichlid has the male in a bright blue with a faint coloring of red in the dorsal and pelvic fin, while the female is a golden rod to goldish brown color with a speckling of red in all of her fins. Her body has faded brown colored scales spattered here and there for camouflage like most females. The female can have scales that are tipped in blue as well.

Size - Weight:
   The Trewavas Cichlid grows to a length of 4” in females to 6” in males (10-15 cm)

Care and feeding:
   Though basically the Trewavas Cichlid is an herbivore, it is also a part time omnivore that once in a while enjoys daphnia, plankton, brine shrimp, and bloodworms (mosquito larvae). However their primary diet should contain 95% vegetable matter in the form of flakes, pellets, tablets, or even spinach, broccoli, or any other “real” veggies that your fish would enjoy. Of course, all fish will benefit from supplements and vitamins added to their foods.
   A minimum 55 gallons is suggested. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Provide open swimming areas in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium to mimic their natural environment. They enjoy the typical Lake Malawi set up with rocks piled to the top of the water and a sandy substrate. Regular gravel for freshwater fish can be used, their natural habitat has sand. Some aquarists prefer a bare bottom since these fish are diggers! Plants are not needed unless breeding, and then some Anubias can help in fry survival. You will need to watch PH levels since decaying plants can lower the PH.
   Malawi Cichlids will deteriorate under poor water conditions. Do water changes of 10% to 25% a week depending on bio load, these are very sensitive fish as far as water quality is concerned. Malawi bloat is a typical and lethal disease especially if their dietary needs are not met with quality foods. It is caused by too much protein in their particular diet. They can contract other diseases that ail all freshwater fish.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   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. A higher PH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fishes. A very slow acclimation to different PH levels can sometimes be achieved.
   These numbers are based on Lake Malawi’s statistics:
   Hardness: 6 - 10° dH
   Ph: 7.0 - 8.4
   Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 -28° C).
   Many keepers of the Trewavas Cichlid report a cooler temperature requirement of 72 to 77° F (22 - 24° C). Slowly acclimating them up to 82° F (28° C) can be done to fit the needs of the aquarist.

Social Behaviors:
   This fish is not considered to be a community fish. As long as there is plenty of rockwork for the fish to hide, they can be housed with other more aggressive Mbunas. They can also be kept with a few Pseudotropheus species and the Electric Yellow Lab Labidochromis caeruleus, Haplochromis nyererei, Compressiceps, Red-Tailed Black Shark, and plecos, to name a few. They do not do well with active scavengers.
   The Trewavas Cichlid is best kept in groups of one male and 4 or more females to spread out the aggression the male inflicts. They will attack and kill any other males of the same species in the tank unless the tank is large and overstocked. If overstocking is used as a form of aggression reduction, care should be taken to do several partial water changes a week. They are aggressive Mbunas and care must be taken to observe any excessive aggression which results in another fish staying at the top corner of the tank. Those fish need to be removed or will eventually be killed.

Sexual Differences:
   Males and females are different colors. All males have egg spots on their dorsal fin while females do not. Males also tend to be larger.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Trewavas Cichlid has been bred in captivity. This cichlid, like other Mbunas, spawn in the male’s territory. The male will display bright coloring and shimmy and shake until the female lays 1 to 10 large eggs at a time on a piece of slate that is set at an angle. The female will then immediately take the eggs into her mouth before they are fertilized.
   The male flares out his anal fin which has the “egg spot patterning”. The female mistakes the eggs spots on the male’s anal fin as her own eggs and tries to take them in her mouth as well. In doing so, she then stimulates the male to discharge sperm (milt cloud) and inhales the cloud of “milt” which then fertilizes the eggs in her mouth. She will have up to 27 fertilized eggs when finished.
   It is hard to spot a spawning moment since it is done so quickly. Females will swim away when they are finished with the male sometimes in pursuit for “more.” If the female releases the eggs from her mouth due to stress, removing her from a relentless male may be a good idea for the next spawn.
   Gestation is around 3 weeks, give or take a few days. The released fry are larger than most cichlid fry. They tend to stay close to the bottom of the tank after being released, but soon start swimming around at all levels. The fry can eat finely crushed flake that have a high vegetable content. The female will not harm her young and can be left in the tank, though this is not always the best idea. A prolonged absence from the main tank can make the returned female become a target of aggression as a “new fish”, to the point of causing serious harm. See the description of how cichlids breed in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
   The Trewavas Cichlid is a rather rare find. Occasionally they can be found online for around $8.00 to $35.00 USD. Prices vary depending on whether they are male, female, or juvenile. They are rarely found in fish stores, though may be special ordered if you are willing to wait for them if they are out of season.
   When acquiring a Trewavas Cichlid, with all the different hybrids that have formed in captivity, there is no way to tell exactly what you are getting unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Author: Carrie McBirney

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