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Lake Malawi and Tanganyika Information (African Cichlids Habitat)

Lake Malawi and Tanganyika Information (African Cichlids Habitat)
Lake Malawi Coordinates 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°E / -12.183; 34.367Coordinates: 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°E / -12.183; 34.367 Lake type Rift lake Primary inflows Ruhuhu[1] Primary outflows Shire River[1] Basin countries Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania

Max. length 560 km[1] to 580[2] Max. width 75 km[1] Surface area 29,600 km²[1] Average depth 292 m[3] Max. depth 706 m[3] Water volume 8,400 km³[3] Surface elevation 500 m

View from orbit Coordinates 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°E / -12.183; 34.367Coordinates: 12°11′S 34°22′E / 12.183°S 34.367°E / -12.183; 34.367 Lake type Rift lake Primary inflows Ruhuhu[1] Primary outflows Shire River[1] Basin countries Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania

Max. length 560 km[1] to 580[2] Max. width 75 km[1] Surface area 29,600 km²[1] Average depth 292 m[3] Max. depth 706 m[3] Water volume 8,400 km³[3] Surface elevation 500 m

Islands Likoma and Chizumulu References [3][1] Lake Malawi (also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Niassa, and Lago Niassa in Mozambique), is an African Great Lake and the most southerly lake in the East African Rift valley system. The lake, third largest in Africa and eighth largest in the world, is situated between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It is also the second deepest lake in Africa but its placid nature at its northerly shore gives no hint of this feature. The lake's tropical waters teem with more fish species than any other lake on Earth.

Geography

Lake Malawi is between 560[1] and 579 km long[2] and is 75 km wide at its widest point; its total surface area is approximately 29,600 km².[1] The lake is bordered by western Mozambique, eastern Malawi, and southern Tanzania. Its largest tributary is the Ruhuhu and its outlet is the Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi.[2

Cichlids Main article: Cichlidae

Lake Malawi is home to numerous cichlid species including this Livingston's cichlidae (Nimbochromis livingstonii)Lake Malawi is famous for its cichlids, popular in the aquarium trade. Malawi cichlidae are divided into two basic groups, loosely referred to as the haplochromines and the tilapiines. Within the first group (Haplochrominae) there are two subgroups. The first consists of the open water and sand dwelling species whose males sport bright colors while the females show a silvery coloration with sometimes irregular black bars or other markings. The second subgroup is known locally and popularly as mbuna, which means "rockdweller." Mbuna are smaller, and both sexes often showing bright coloration, though in many species the females may be brownish overall.

The second group, the tilapiines, consists of the only substrate-spawning species in the lake (Tilapia rendalli), as well as the 4 species of chambo (Nyasalapia). Lake Malawi's cichlids from the Haplochromine group are popular in the international aquarium hobby.

Snails The lake also supports populations of snails, some of which carry bilharzia. For many years this was strenuously denied by the government, which feared it would deter tourism in the area, but since the fall of Hastings Banda (dictator of Malawi from 1961 to 1994), the presence of bilharzia in the lake has been more widely acknowledged. Due to the overfishing of snail-eating cichlids, what little bilharzia that existed increased to the point of being a hazard to bathers in the south east portion of the lake.

Water chemistry

Lake Malawi 1967The water in Lake Malawi is typically alkaline with a pH of 7.7 – 8.6, a carbonate hardness of 107 – 142 mg L-1 and a conductivity of 210 – 285 µS cm-1. The lake water is generally warm, having a surface temperature that ranges from 24 – 29 °C (75 – 84 °F) and a deep level temperature of 22 °C (71.6 °F).


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