Scrapermouth Mbuna

About

The Scrapermouth Mbuna (Labeotropheus trewavasae) is one of the more specialized rock-dwellers from Lake Malawi, built from the ground up for life on algae-covered stone. Its most distinctive feature is an overhanging snout paired with chisel-shaped teeth, an arrangement that lets the fish hold its body parallel to a rock face while scraping algae even in turbulent shallows. Territory that most other mbuna can't exploit. In the wild it has been found at depths approaching 112 feet, going deeper than its close relative L. fuelleborni, from which it can also be told apart by its slimmer build and smaller adult size. Beyond algae, it rounds out its diet with small invertebrates. One of the most remarkable things about this species is its color diversity. More than 40 forms have been recorded, with considerable variation in the dorsal fin in particular. Female orange and orange-blotch morphs exist, and the rare blue-blotch males, nicknamed "marmalade cats", are genuinely sought after. Keep different forms and species of Labeotropheus separate, as they will hybridize readily. In the aquarium this is a genuinely aggressive fish, especially toward its own kind, and it needs to be housed with other robust mbuna rather than peaceful species. Overstocking and keeping multiple females per male are the standard strategies for keeping aggression manageable. Intermediate experience is a fair baseline for this one.