Aquarist Atlas
Collection point · Lake Malawi · Tanzania

Hongi Rocks

HOHN-gee ROKS (approx.)

The atlas records 3 collection-point forms from Hongi Rocks, across 3 genera.

11.1465°S 34.6478°E

Hongi Rocks is a rock formation on Lake Malawi's Tanzanian shore, under 1 km north-east of Hongi Island.

Where it is

Hongi Rocks is on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, in its central third (116 mi south of the lake's northern tip).

Nearest collection points: Hongi Island 0.1 mi south-west · Lipingo Rock 3.1 mi south-east · Liuli 3.2 mi north

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) (~291 km) — Conductivity 235 µS/cm

This site

Habitatrockyrocks near Hongi Island, on Lake Malawi's Tanzanian shore

Surface temperature here

Across May–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 (890 clear days). The rainy-season months are usually too cloudy to measure and are left blank.

75°78°81°84°Jan: too few clear satellite days (0)–JFeb: too few clear satellite days (1)–FMar: too few clear satellite days (1)–MApr: too few clear satellite days (6)–AMay: 80 °F mean (79 °F–81 °F), 53 clear satellite daysMJun: 78 °F mean (77 °F–80 °F), 106 clear satellite daysJJul: 77 °F mean (75 °F–78 °F), 148 clear satellite daysJAug: 76 °F mean (75 °F–78 °F), 205 clear satellite daysASep: 78 °F mean (76 °F–79 °F), 204 clear satellite daysSOct: 80 °F mean (78 °F–82 °F), 119 clear satellite daysONov: 82 °F mean (81 °F–84 °F), 46 clear satellite daysNDec: too few clear satellite days (1)–D
Surface temperature by month near Hongi Rocks — 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 — Hongi Rocks, Lake Malawi, Tanzania: location page and photo gallery (captions by Mark Thomas)

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.

Chindongo (1)

Labidochromis (1)

Tropheops (1)

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