Along the east coast of Africa lie the famous rift lakes. The most popular of which are Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi. These deep-water lakes have very steep, rocky sides and sandy bottoms. They are home to a tremendous variety of some of the most popular and colorful Cichlids available to the hobbyist. These unique Cichlids have well defined social structures and unusual breeding habits. White to light tan sand is recommended to stimulate the natural substrate. This particular substrate will also help keep the pH levels up where they need to be. Various size and shape rocks should be used to create caves, caverns, and nooks. Small, artificial grass-like plants should also be used to recreate this environment.