London Zoo
In 2013, only three specimens were known to exist in captivity - two males in London Zoo and one male in Aquarium Berlin. Those in London Zoo were at least eleven years old, and little was known about the life expectancy of the species. London Zoo published an appeal in May 2013, asking for any information about potentially suitable female Mangarahara cichlids in private collections. After leads from collectors in Venezuela, China, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere did not surface any living cichlids, Zimmerman was contacted by hotelier, tilapia farmer, and "Fish Whisperer" Guy Tam Hyock. Guy Tam Hyock offered to show representatives from London Zoo to a small pond near Marotandrano where he believed a population of the fishes remained.