This shows the gear used by the divers in catching the fishes.  The collection is the first task in a long line of tasks all essential  in an extended and contiguous chain of processes whereby the fishes eventually arrive at a pet shop overseas.

The divers do not use aqualungs - they use a simple "hookah" arrangement which consists of a small petrol engine driving an oil-less compressor feeding compressed air into a reserve air tank. From the tank two outlet hoses 150 feet long terminate in diver's chest/back harnesses with a standard aqualung second stage regulator furnishing the air to the diver. Normally two divers are "down" at one time - each assisting the other - and the air hose doubles as a safety line in an emergency.

The fishes are caught in fine-meshed nets ten meters long and two meters deep and the Malawian divers develop a definite skill in handling the nets at depths of up to twenty-five meters over the rocky lake bed. It is necessary to decompress the fishes (no question of whistling them up directly from 25 meters to the surface!) and to achieve this they are caught by hand in the long net by the divers and placed in 50 liter plastic blue drums with mesh netting over the drums' orifice. The drums are then progressively raised in stages for the next day or so. In collecting both male and female fishes are needed as usually Malawi fishes are sold in pairs.

The divers will "work" several sites leaving the drums on a chain and float and when, after all fishes have been caught and decompressed, the fishes will be brought on board the dive boat - with non-stop water changing being the rule till arrival at the appropriate holding station.

"It is the genus that gives the characteristics, and not the characters that make the genus..."  Carl Linnaeus 1707-1778.