Aquarist Atlas
Collection point · Lake Malawi · Mozambique

Chilola Bay

chee-LOH-lah BAY (approx.)

The atlas records 3 collection-point forms from Chilola Bay, across 2 genera.

12.0968°S 34.7986°E

Chilola Bay is a bay on Lake Malawi's Mozambican shore, about 6 km north-east of Cobwé (Cobue).

Where it is

Chilola Bay is on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, in its central third (181 mi south of the lake's northern tip).

Nearest collection points: Mbuzi Islands 3.7 mi west · Cobwe 3.7 mi south-west · Chisanga Point 3.7 mi west

Shore, third and distances are measured from the coordinates above against the lake’s mapped outline.

The water

Lake-wide measured chemistry of Lake Malawi — collection points share their lake's water; site-specific figures are shown only where the literature records them.

Temperature75.2–84.2 °F24–29 °C
pH8.2–8.6alkaline
Hardnessmoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppm
Conductivity≈250–260 µS/cmmeasured range

Nearest measured station: Salima (south-east shore) (~189 km) — Conductivity 235 µS/cm

Surface temperature here

Across Apr–Nov, monthly means run 76 °F to 82 °F — coolest in Aug. Measured by satellite 1995–2023: the daily median of clear readings within 10 km of the site (1233 clear days). The rainy-season months are usually too cloudy to measure and are left blank.

74°77°80°83°Jan: too few clear satellite days (0)–JFeb: too few clear satellite days (1)–FMar: too few clear satellite days (2)–MApr: 82 °F mean (80 °F–83 °F), 19 clear satellite daysAMay: 80 °F mean (78 °F–81 °F), 106 clear satellite daysMJun: 78 °F mean (77 °F–79 °F), 161 clear satellite daysJJul: 76 °F mean (76 °F–78 °F), 217 clear satellite daysJAug: 76 °F mean (75 °F–77 °F), 262 clear satellite daysASep: 77 °F mean (76 °F–79 °F), 240 clear satellite daysSOct: 80 °F mean (78 °F–81 °F), 160 clear satellite daysONov: 82 °F mean (80 °F–84 °F), 62 clear satellite daysNDec: too few clear satellite days (3)–D
Surface temperature by month near Chilola Bay — dot = mean, bar = typical range (10th–90th percentile), “–” = too cloudy to measure.

Temperature: ESA Climate Change Initiative, Lakes_cci v3.0 (Asfour et al. 2026; doi:10.5285/a56dba09df8a42ec9fba8b8c7a5e1f69). Chemistry on this page remains the lake's own.

Sources
  1. malawi.si — Lake Malawi interactive locations map: Chilola Bay

Each entry below is the population of that species recorded here — the form aquarists keep and breed as a distinct, provenance-labelled line. Crossing forms from different collection points is considered hybridisation in the hobby.

Placidochromis (2)

Sciaenochromis (1)

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