Malawi Hawk – Aristochromis christyi

The Malawi Hawk Cichlid (Aristochromis christyi) is a freshwater fish in Lake Malawi. This tropical Cichlid is an open water species, they love explore in a large Aquarium. Malawi Hawk is a large solitary species in nature and so should be kept as a single male specimen, or in harem with one male and several females. Malawi Hawk is one of the largest cichlids in the Lake Malawi and in the wild, they adapted fro preying upon the smaller mbuna and utaka. Buy Live Fish online with Coburg Aquarium in Australia

Please Note: Livestock and Live Plants cannot be shipped to WA and TAS due to State Restrictions. All other states are OK.

Features of Malawi Hawk:

• With an elongate body and an enlarged, bulbous head, Aristochromis is highly adapted for lunging into the rocks after its agile prey
• Juveniles and females are similar in appearance, being primarily silvery with an oblique black line
• Mature Males will lose the stripes,and develop bluish color throughout the body, and ventral fins become ever oranger
• They are suggested for more experienced aquarists

Malawi Hawks: Care, Diet and Tank Mates

The Best Aquarium Size for Malawi Hawks:

The commonly recommended Malawi Hawk tank size is 500litres. A much larger tank is requiredif you have space and budget.

After an Aquarium for your fish? Browse Aquarium Tank Selection here.

Malawi Hawk Tank Mate Compatibility:

A predatory species that should not be combined with tankmates it can fit into its capacious mouth. It can however be combined with similarly-sized fishes that appreciate comparable water conditions. Here are some good Malawi Hawk tank mates to consider:

• Dimidiochromis Comressiceps
• Fossorochromis
• Champsochromis

Malawi Hawk Food :

Although the species is a piscivore by nature (it preys chiefly on other cichlids) it can easily be trained to accept commerial foods, such as pellets. Prawns, mussel, cockle and lancefish are all good choices. Some good commercial food brands for this fish:

• Hikari Cichlid Fish Food
• Feeder Fish
• OSI Cichlid Premier Pellets (M)
• Fish Fuel Frozen Cichlid Food
• Bloodworms
• Dried blackworms
• Brine Shrimp

You can search more Malawi Hawk food in our High Quality Fish Foods collections.

Malawi Hawk Tank Setup:

Aquarium Filtration

The filter should be very large and efficient as predatory fish of this size produce a lot of waste. Here are some great brands to consider:

• Aqua One Internal Filters, Canister Filters, Hang On Filters
• Eheim Classic Canister Filter with Media
• Fluval Internal Filter, Hang On Filter, Canister Filter
• Oase Internal Filters, Canister Filters

Power head Brands:

• Dymax Powerhead
• Oase OptiMax Pump
• Sicce Voyager Aquarium Pump

Aquarium Heater

The aquarium should be heated, depending on your areas climate. Install anaquarium heaterif necessary.

Aquatic Plants

Aquarium plants can help the fry have a higher survival rate.You can plant some hardy species include:Swordplant,Anubias,Needle Leaf Java Fern, Java fern. Be more creative! Buy our live Aquarium plants Online Click Here

Aquarium Decorations

Introduce some rocks, coves, clay pots, driftwood into the mix as well. Meanwhile, smooth rocks will act as breeding grounds for these fish. Ideal Ornaments for your tank:

• biOrb Ornaments Collections
• Aqua One Ornaments Collections
• Kazoo Ornaments Collections
• Big Rocks and Coves are only avalibale in Coburg Aquarium physical store

Aquarium Substrate

A sandy substrate is recommended.

A variety of Substrates are available at Coburg Aquarium.