Aquarist Atlas
Collection point · Lake Malawi · Malawi

Chiteko

chee-TEH-koh (approx.)

The atlas records 2 collection-point forms from Chiteko, across 2 genera.

12.0180°S 34.6292°E

Chiteko is a collection point on Lake Malawi's Malawian shore, under 1 km north-east of Chizumulu Island.

Where it is

Chiteko is in open water about 12 mi off the eastern shore, in the central third of Lake Malawi (176 mi south of the lake's northern tip).

Nearest collection points: Chizumulu Island 0.6 mi south-west · Mkanila Bay 0.9 mi north-west · Machili Island 1.4 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) (~194 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 (1083 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 (0)–FMar: too few clear satellite days (1)–MApr: 81 °F mean (80 °F–83 °F), 13 clear satellite daysAMay: 80 °F mean (78 °F–81 °F), 79 clear satellite daysMJun: 78 °F mean (77 °F–79 °F), 136 clear satellite daysJJul: 76 °F mean (75 °F–77 °F), 185 clear satellite daysJAug: 76 °F mean (75 °F–77 °F), 236 clear satellite daysASep: 77 °F mean (76 °F–78 °F), 230 clear satellite daysSOct: 80 °F mean (78 °F–81 °F), 146 clear satellite daysONov: 82 °F mean (80 °F–84 °F), 55 clear satellite daysNDec: too few clear satellite days (2)–D
Surface temperature by month near Chiteko — 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: Chiteko

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.

Maylandia (1)

Petrotilapia (1)

← All collection points