Aquarist Atlas
Collection point · Lake Malawi · Malawi

Chitseko Reef

chee-TSEH-koh REEF (approx.)

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

14.0094°S 34.5453°E

Chitseko Reef is a reef off Lake Malawi's Malawian shore, about 4 km south-east of Chipoka.

Where it is

Chitseko Reef is on the western shore of Lake Malawi, in its southern third (313 mi south of the lake's northern tip).

Nearest collection points: Chipoka 2.4 mi north-west · Chidunga Rocks 3.4 mi north · Mkondiwa Reef 8.7 mi north-east

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) (~33 km) — Conductivity 235 µS/cm

Surface temperature here

Across Apr–Nov, monthly means run 74 °F to 82 °F — coolest in Jul. Measured by satellite 1995–2023: the daily median of clear readings within 10 km of the site (1465 clear days). The rainy-season months are usually too cloudy to measure and are left blank.

72°76°80°84°Jan: too few clear satellite days (1)–JFeb: too few clear satellite days (4)–FMar: too few clear satellite days (8)–MApr: 80 °F mean (78 °F–82 °F), 47 clear satellite daysAMay: 78 °F mean (76 °F–79 °F), 161 clear satellite daysMJun: 76 °F mean (74 °F–78 °F), 224 clear satellite daysJJul: 74 °F mean (73 °F–75 °F), 236 clear satellite daysJAug: 74 °F mean (73 °F–76 °F), 294 clear satellite daysASep: 76 °F mean (74 °F–78 °F), 287 clear satellite daysSOct: 80 °F mean (78 °F–82 °F), 141 clear satellite daysONov: 82 °F mean (80 °F–84 °F), 57 clear satellite daysNDec: too few clear satellite days (5)–D
Surface temperature by month near Chitseko Reef — 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: Chitseko Reef

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.

Aulonocara (1)

Mylochromis (1)

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