Tigerfish

Where they come from

Rhamphochromis longiceps is a Lake Malawi predator. Not a rock-dwelling mbuna, not a gentle open-water peacock either - this is one of the lake's true chase-and-eat fish. In the wild they're built for speed, spending a lot of time in open water and hunting smaller fish.

Setting up their tank

Tank size is the whole game with tigerfish. They get long, they move fast, and they spook easily if they're cramped. You want a long footprint more than a tall tank. For an adult, I'd personally treat 6 feet as the starting point, and bigger is always easier. Keeping a group means going even larger.

• Tank: long tank, 6 ft minimum for an adult (bigger for multiples)
• Filtration: heavy, with strong mechanical pickup and lots of bio capacity
• Flow: moderate to strong, but avoid blasting one end so they pin themselves
• Cover: tight lid - they can jump when startled
• Lighting: not too harsh, or give shaded areas with floating plants (if they will tolerate your water chemistry)
• Decor: keep it open for swimming, with a few big rock piles or vertical structure to break sight lines

I like a layout with open runway space and just a couple of big, stable rock mounds. Skip sharp dragon stone-style edges. These fish hit the glass and decor hard during spooks, and scrapes happen fast.

Water-wise, think Lake Malawi: hard, alkaline, clean. They are messy eaters, so you will be doing real water changes. I ran mine like a predator tank that happens to be Malawi - over-filtered, lots of turnover, and I did not get lazy about maintenance.

What to feed them

They are fish-eaters by nature, and they'll act like it. The trick in captivity is getting them onto foods that keep them in shape without wrecking water quality or their digestion.

• Staples: quality carnivore pellets (the kind that sinks slowly), meaty frozen like prawns/shrimp, white fish, and the occasional squid
• Treats: earthworms or insects (rinse well), krill in moderation
• Avoid: feeder fish as a routine (parasites, thiaminase issues, and it trains them to only want live prey)

Most tigerfish will take pellets if you are consistent. Start with frozen, then mix pellets in the flow so they drift like prey. Once they recognize pellets as food, life gets way easier and your water stays cleaner.

How they behave and who they get along with

They are predatory, high-strung, and surprisingly sensitive to bullying. They'll eat anything that fits in their mouth, but they also do not love constant harassment from hyper-aggressive tankmates.

I had the best results with large, steady fish that hold their own without being nonstop terrors. Think bigger Malawi haps, larger Synodontis catfish, and other robust open-water types. Tiny peacocks, small mbuna, and anything slender enough to swallow will disappear sooner or later.

• Good candidates: large haps (similar size), big Synodontis, robust non-nippy cichlids
• Risky: mbuna (often too nippy and chaotic), delicate species, long-finned fish
• Not a match: anything small enough to fit in the mouth, slow bottom sitters that get picked on

If you keep more than one tigerfish, watch the hierarchy. A dominant fish can keep others pinned and stressed, especially in shorter tanks. Lots of open space and a group size that spreads attention (or just keeping a single specimen) can save you headaches.

Breeding tips

Breeding them in a home setup is possible but not something most people stumble into. They are mouthbrooders like many Malawi cichlids, and the females will carry, but getting a compatible group and giving them the room to settle is the hard part.

• Start with a group of juveniles and let pairs form naturally
• Keep the tank calm and spacious so spooking does not cause the female to spit
• If you see a holding female, consider moving her to a quiet tank or use a divider to reduce stress
• Expect fry to need very fine foods at first (baby brine, crushed pellets) and lots of clean water

Common problems to watch for

Most issues I saw were not mysterious diseases. They were knock-on effects from tank size, stress, and messy feeding.

• Spook injuries: scraped flanks, damaged snouts from glass hits
• Bloat/constipation: often from overfeeding rich foods or big single meals
• Hole-in-the-head style erosion: usually tied to long-term water quality and nutrition issues
• Internal parasites: common in wild-caught or poorly quarantined fish (stringy white poop, weight loss, appetite changes)
• Aggression stress: one fish losing weight and staying in corners from being dominated

If your tigerfish goes off food, don't instantly throw meds at the tank. Check ammonia/nitrite, check nitrate, look for bullying, and look at your feeding routine. Nine times out of ten, fixing stress and water gets them eating again.