The Malawi Hawk is an open water species and needs plenty of swimming space. A sandy substrate is recommended with some rock piles to provide variation and hiding places. These will also be important if you want to keep any rock dwelling species in the tank. The filter should be very large and efficient as predatory fish of this size produce a lot of waste.
A predatory species that should not be combined with tankmates it can fit into its capacious mouth. It can however be combined with similarly-sized fishes that appreciate comparable water conditions such as Dimidiochromis compressiceps, Fossorochromis and Champsochromis spp.. It’s largely a solitary species in nature and so should be kept as a single male specimen, or in a harem with one male and several females.