Livingston's cichlid

Nimbochromis livingstonii is a large Malawi haplochromine famous for its unusual hunting strategy: it lies motionless on its side on the sand, its blotched brown-and-white coloration mimicking a dead fish, then ambushes scavengers that approach. Adults reach about 25 cm, with breeding males acquiring a blue sheen. It is a committed piscivore, so tankmates must be too large to be eaten. Keep a single male with several females in a big tank combining sandy open areas, where it hunts, with rock cover. Males are aggressive, particularly when spawning, and this is a mouthbrooding species. Provide hard, alkaline, warm Malawi water with strong filtration. Feed meaty foods such as mysis, krill, silversides and quality pellets, avoiding mammalian meats and overfeeding to prevent bloat. Its remarkable death-feigning behaviour makes it a captivating showpiece for large predator aquaria.