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When it comes to the blog interviews, I would be doing you, the reader, a disservice if I only targeted cichlidophiles in the United States. Fortunately, I’ve been able to interview fish keepers from all over the globe. In fact, today’s interviewee hails from Denmark. If you keep Lake Victoria cichlids, then you have probably heard of him – Kim Pedersen.
NOTE: All photos by Kim Pedersen unless otherwise noted.
Today’s interviewee comes by way of a dinner gathering back in November, 2025. I didn’t know Mike McKinney until a group of hobbyists attending the 2025 OCA Extravaganza met for dinner at a restaurant in Strongsville, OH just outside Cleveland. Though the meal itself was a highlight, getting to meet Mike that evening was the real reward.
For all you Lake Malawi cichlid fans, two new species of haplochromines have been formally described and identified, both in the Mylochromis genus.
In 2021, I stumbled upon a YouTube channel that I hadn’t seen before, which focuses on fishkeeping, mainly cichlids. The channel, Fish Keeping Simplified, belongs to Ben Ochart, a fellow cichlid keeper and super nice guy. I was fortunate to score an interview with him three years ago. Though his channel wasn’t new at that time, his fish hobby situation was. He had just moved across country and started over on his cichlid keeping journey.
As a long time cichlid keeper, I have sourced my fish from a variety of vendors – both online and my LFS. I have made it no secret here on the blog that one of my favorite online sources is Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish. Owned by Dave Schumacher and specializing in African cichlids (mostly the rift lakes), this San Antonio, TX based business is first class. From the quality of the fish to expertly bagged, boxed, and shipped orders, Dave does it right. Some of the best fish I have ever had (and still have) came from him.
Since I began the The Cichlid Stage in 2015, I have had the honor of interviewing people who have made enormous contributions to our understanding of cichlids. Today’s interviewee is no different.
I very often hear of cichlid keepers with mixed tanks. Some keep New World and Old World cichlids together. Some keep Tangs with Malawis and some even keep West Africans with East Africans. Does it really matter? Sure….sometimes. It depends on several factors.
What about keeping mbuna with Tanganyikan shell dwellers? “Blasphemous!” some might say. I would say, “Not so fast.” Different lake origins and water parameter requirements aside, it can be done. I know because I do it. But should you?
Do you feed your cichlids commercial foods that contain probiotics? Many of the larger market food brands (e.g., New Life Spectrum, Cobalt) and even some smaller ones (e.g., AquaLife) offer probiotic infused foods espousing the benefits to fish digestion.
I came across a recent study (October 2017) in the World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research that looked at the effects of probiotics on reproduction.