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The mighty Congo river empties into Lake Tanganyika and this mass of water is almost one mile deep with, it is thought, another three miles of sediment underneath.
Like a sea it has crabs, jellyfish, sponges, and clouds of zooplankton — yet it is totally freshwater and home to nearly 200 species of cichlid that have adapted to a unique life within its boundaries.
The cichlids of Lake Tanganyika have also adapted to fill every possible feeding niche: from eating algae or shrimp through to fish and even scales and fins of other fish. They range from the diminutive Neolamprologus multifasciatus at 3cm/1.2” in length to the 90cm/35” Boulengerochromis microlepis — which is the world’s largest cichlid.
Despite variations in size, many species reach less than 20cm/7.8” in length, making them great aquarium subjects.