LABEOTROPHEUS TREWAVASAE (RED TOP)

There are more than forty geographic and color variants of Labeotropheus trewavasae in Lake Malawi. Pictured here is the “Red Top” from Thumbi Island. Currently, it is one of the more common variants in North America, probably due to the bright red dorsal fin. L. trewavasae come in all varieties of color, but shades of blue seem most common.

My male spends most of his time near the bottom, hanging out around his cave, although he does permit others to swim through it. The females spend the majority of their time in the top half of the tank, probably to avoid this dominant male’s advances as he is always trying to spawn. Most of the male’s aggression is directed toward the two females that I keep and a Labeotropheus fuelleborni pair.