Customer Reviews

Back to Nature: Malawi Cichlids (Revised & Expanded Edition)

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I purchased this book needing further information on specific types of fish in this particular lake. Loads of fish listed with colour pictures. Also gives information on each fish as to :
1) How large the species grow.
2) Size of tank needed.
3) Ease of keeping rated 1-5.
4) How many baby fish in an average brood you can expect.
5) Colour picture and some general information on the fish.

Also included in the book is a fold out map of the lake with towns noted so they can be linked to individual fish. Lots of information on general fish keeping at the begining of the book.

I purchased with Back to Nature: Guide to Tanganyika Cichlids which is just as worthwhile.

The author is the founder of Cichlid Press - an important source of knowledge about this fascinating family of species. This particular title is a very good reference book with great photos of different Lake Malawi cichlids. Every species in the lake has its own entry that is about 1/5 of a page. The species are helpfully divided by chapters into aulonocara, haplochromis, mbuna and large predators. Each entry lists the difficulty of keeping that particular species (on a 5 point scale that considers hardiness and aggression towards other fish), the maximum size of males and females, the minimum tank length and volume required to house the fish and the average brood size if you're able to breed the fish successfully. It also tells you the scientific and trade names of the fish, it's distribution in the lake, usual habitat (rocks or open sand and depth) within the lake, food and breeding behavior. For dimorphic species photos of both the male and female are shown. A lot of this information is available on the web (Cichlid-Forum, for example, is a great site that provides very helpful information/opinions about equipment, fish compatibility, descriptions of species and excellent colour photos) but it's nice to have a lot of it available in a single handy volume. The writing in the book is, as others have noted, awkward at times and could have used some editing.

The book is of textbook quality with a durable cover and binding and high quality paper.

I was a bit disappointed when I first received it because I unrealistically expected it to tell me which species I could keep together. Although I wish it gave more details such as the life expectancy of each species and their behaviors in an aquarium, I've been thumbing through the book constantly as I try to figure out how to stock my tank. Unlike some of the information on the net, one also gets the sense that what's in this book is authoritative. As the back of the book notes, the author has spent over a thousand hours in Lake Malawi learning about these amazing fishes. If you keep cichlids or are considering doing so, this book is probably required reading.

Note: All measurements (such as recommended tank sizes, length of fish) in book are in metric units.

This book is excellent! I have purchased several books on african cichlids and this book by far is the best. It is very informative with many illustrations. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to keep african cichlids.

This is a relatively comprehensive text written by THE world authority on Cichlids, in particular African Cichlids. It gives a taste of the Lake Malawi (the source of these beautiful and interesting specimens), then gives a brief review of several of the varieties of Mbuna, Haplochromines, etc. The photos are mostly of great quality, although I felt that the photos of some of the more common/popular varieties, e.g. "yellow labs" were not typical of the ones seen. Some basic information re the water maintenance and filtration options is included, but could have been a bit more detailed. I also felt that some details re decorating the Cichlid aquarium, could have been included. Also missing, I felt was a "recommended list" of compatible fish (color-wise, and temperament-wise). Overall, however well worth the cost, and a great read to tease the tastebuds for one of the more comprehensive volumes by the same author, Ad Konings. My copy is just over a month old and already well used!

Over a couple of days I read this book, cover to cover. In the past I have bred various fish, but just recently I started to raise mbuna and peacocks. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the basics of setting up a lake malawi aquarium, understand their diet and diseases along with some high level information over the most common peacocks, haps & mbuna's. If I would have read this book prior to purchasing my lake malawi cichlids, I would have possibly saved a few fish I lost due to bloat. Many of the lake malawi cichlids need a diet that is highly digestible. Overall, this is a really good book. If you are looking for a book with more details in general of lake malawi cichlids and pictures, then I would recommend Ad Konings "Malawi Cichlids in thier natural habitat 4th edition".

Great little book for reference on Malawii cichlids. This book describes each species and does some description about breeding. There is some general info on compatibility between species but not alot of detail. Good general reference book. I have been in the fish hobby for three years so am far from an expert and this review would be addressed to beginners. Enjoy!

Anyone who keeps Malawan cichlids must have this book. It is very informative, with realistic and helpful instructions on how to keep the may listed species in captivity. The pictures were beautiful, and pictures of females as well as males were included for many species. This book is also very helpful for anyone wanting to know where different species and varieties originate from, with a detailed fold-out map of the different collection sites in the back. While the majority is species-by species, this isn't your standard fish encyclopedia, the information included is meaningful and helpful. There is certainly no other book that can stand up this, it is quintessential to this hobby.

A comprehensive text on Lake Malawi cichlids. The photos are excellent and the information on setting up, feeding, breeding etc is very helpful. Some more detail on the introductory material would be most welcomed though. It includes comprehensive information for each fish and a very helpful map of the lake.
No doubt that it is a great book by an expert on the field and sure worth bying. I also bought the companion book for Tanganyika lake cichlids.