La única especie conchícola del lago que utiliza caracolas de Lanistes nyassanus.
En acuario muestran comportamiento petrícola, por lo que si queremos observar las costumbres caracoleras lo ideal sería un acuario de arena con muchas conchas y pocas o ninguna piedra.
Al tratarse de un m´buna realtivamente antiguo, ha sido desplazado a estas zonas arenosas por especies más modernas y mejor adaptadas al hábitat rocoso.
Como curiosidad comentar, que hay quién dice que las hembras se pueden transformar en machos fértiles:
Jay R. Stauffer Jr, Renea A. Ruffing ( 2008 ) Behaviorally Induced Sex Reversal of Metriaclima cf. livingstoni (Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi. Copeia: Vol. 2008 , No. 3 , pp. 618-620. Articles Behaviorally Induced Sex Reversal of Metriaclima cf. livingstoni (Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi Jay R.*Stauffer*Jr 1 and Renea A.*Ruffing 1 Abstract Sex reversal in the Lake Malawi cichlid, Metriaclima cf. livingstoni , was documented.
A functional male in an aquarium was separated from three functional females by a divider of clear Plexiglas® sealed to tank walls. After the male was removed, one of the functional females developed male secondary sexual characteristics and fertilized eggs produced by the other females. In a second experiment, 6 –7 functional females were placed in tanks without males. Again, sex change was noted with one of the former females fertilizing several broods.
Macho.





Hembra.






Alevines y juveniles.






Detalle de la dentición y branquispinas.

Unos vídeos.
[bbvideo=560,315]http://www.youtube.com/v/5BU91Ka9TNM[/bbvideo]
[bbvideo=560,315]http://www.youtube.com/v/ZPuqIaLEz2c[/bbvideo]
[bbvideo=560,315]http://www.youtube.com/v/ooam8tInUUI[/bbvideo]
[bbvideo=560,315]http://www.youtube.com/v/32MPGiFOBUI[/bbvideo]