Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" "Three Peaks Reef"

Three Peaks ReefTHREE PEEKS REEF (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" account →

Specific to Three Peaks Reef

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3.5 in8.5 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth49–115 ft15–35 m
DietPicks loose diatoms, filamentous algae, and fine detritus from rock and sand using the genus's diagnostic unicuspid teeth, rather than scraping bound algal turf.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodera few dozen eggs (genus-typical)
Sexual dimorphismYesGenus-typical expectation: males show fuller breeding colour and brighter fin edging than females; the specific pattern of this form is not documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Three Peaks Reef population

Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" "Three Peaks Reef" is the Three Peaks Reef population of Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Three Peaks Reef fish at malawi.si

About the species

Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" is an undescribed mbuna recorded from Three Peaks Reef in the southern part of Lake Malawi, one of at least two distinct Cynotilapia colour forms documented from that single reef alongside Cynotilapia sp. "Zebra Deep". Both carry the "Deep" qualifier used throughout the genus for populations collected below the shallow reef zone most rock-dwelling mbuna occupy. "Skov" most likely preserves the name of a collector or exporter associated with the form's introduction to the aquarium trade, a naming pattern common among Lake Malawi mbuna forms, though the specific attribution is not confirmed in the sources consulted for this article.

Full Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Cynotilapia sp. "Deep Skov" "Three Peaks Reef"
  2. malawi.si — Cynotilapia (Konings-based species database; Malawi genus overview)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; depth-partitioned mbuna ecomorphs)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Cynotilapia (genus profile)