Fossorochromis rostratus in an aquarium. Photo copyright © by M. K. Oliver. This attractively patterned cichlid lives on sandy shores. In Lake Malawi, it feeds by plunging its long snout into the sand and then filtering the mouthful through the gill rakers, retaining the edible small animals (crustaceans, worms, etc.) and expelling the sand out the gill covers. It is often followed by one or more individuals of Cyrtocara moorii, which sample the expelled clouds of sand and flocculent particles for edible tidbits missed by the "fossie."

A pictorial guide to keeping F. rostratus in the aquarium, by Francesco Zezza of Malawi Cichlid Homepage, is available online.
 

Last Update: 27 March 2003 Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. Copyright © 1997-2021 by M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED