Aquarist Atlas
Collection point · Lake Malawi · Malawi

Makanjila Rocks

mah-kahn-JEE-lah ROKS (approx.)

The atlas records 6 collection-point forms from Makanjila Rocks, across 5 genera.

13.7314°S 34.8571°E

Makanjila Rocks is a rock formation on Lake Malawi's Malawian shore, under 1 km south-west of Cape Ngombo.

Where it is

Makanjila Rocks is on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, in its southern third (295 mi south of the lake's northern tip).

Nearest collection points: Makanjila Point 4.2 mi north · Liwewe Reef 4.2 mi south-east · Fort Maguire 5.3 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: Monkey Bay (south basin) (~33 km) — Visibility (Secchi) 12.5 m

This site

Habitatrockyrock formation on the lake shore

Surface temperature here

Across Apr–Nov, monthly means run 75 °F to 81 °F — coolest in Jul. Measured by satellite 1995–2023: the daily median of clear readings within 10 km of the site (1436 clear days). The rainy-season months are usually too cloudy to measure and are left blank.

73°76°79°82°Jan: too few clear satellite days (1)–JFeb: too few clear satellite days (3)–FMar: too few clear satellite days (8)–MApr: 80 °F mean (77 °F–82 °F), 36 clear satellite daysAMay: 78 °F mean (76 °F–80 °F), 154 clear satellite daysMJun: 76 °F mean (75 °F–79 °F), 204 clear satellite daysJJul: 75 °F mean (74 °F–76 °F), 226 clear satellite daysJAug: 75 °F mean (74 °F–76 °F), 282 clear satellite daysASep: 76 °F mean (75 °F–78 °F), 287 clear satellite daysSOct: 79 °F mean (77 °F–82 °F), 160 clear satellite daysONov: 81 °F mean (78 °F–83 °F), 68 clear satellite daysNDec: too few clear satellite days (7)–D
Surface temperature by month near Makanjila 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 — Makanjila Rocks, Lake Malawi, Malawi: location page and photo gallery

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.

Copadichromis (1)

Maylandia (2)

Petrotilapia (1)

Rhamphochromis (1)

Tropheops (1)

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