Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Dimidiochromis kiwinge

Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Chiwi Rocks"

Chiwi Rocks — CHEE-wee ROKS (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 Dimidiochromis kiwinge account →

Specific to Chiwi Rocks

  • 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 Dimidiochromis kiwinge.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2018
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size11.8 in30 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.8alkaline
Depth3–49 ft1–15 m
DietAmbush piscivore (small fish)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot formally documented for this species; genus-typical Malawi haplochromine pattern suggests a moderate clutch of a few dozen eggs (flagged as inference, not a published count)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males turn metallic blue-green across head and body with red/orange tints in the fins and run slightly larger; females and subadults stay silvery with a greenish sheen and the dark mid-lateral stripe.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chiwi Rocks population

Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Chiwi Rocks" is the Chiwi Rocks population of Dimidiochromis kiwinge, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the central part of the lake. It is the same species as Dimidiochromis kiwinge, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Chiwi Rocks fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Dimidiochromis kiwinge is a large, restless haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi and its satellite Lake Malombe, and the most common open-water predator of the lake's shallow shoreline. Where most of its relatives hug the bottom, this fish patrols mid-water in roving packs, driving small utaka and the lake sardine toward the surface before striking. It is a fast, hard-to-net fish prized by local anglers for its flavor, which makes it more a fixture of the dinner plate than of the aquarium trade.

Full Dimidiochromis kiwinge account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Chiwi Rocks"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Haplochromis kiwinge / Dimidiochromis kiwinge (species record)
  3. FishBase — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (field guide: size, weight, biology, distribution)
  4. FishBase — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (summary)
  5. GBIF — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (Ahl, 1926) (occurrences, taxonomy, vernacular names)
  6. Eccles, D.H. & Trewavas, E. (1989), Malawian Cichlid Fishes: The Classification of Some Haplochromine Genera (genus Dimidiochromis erected) — cited via IUCN bibliography