Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of the base species

Lamprologus signatus "Chimba"

Chimba — CHEEM-bah (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 the base species account →

Specific to Chimba

  • 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 the base species.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size2.2 in5.5 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.5–9alkaline
Depth33–328 ft10–100 m
DietMicro-invertebrate predator; feeds on small shrimp, ostracods, and micro-crustaceans picked from and just above the soft muddy substrate; also takes zooplankton (FishBase trophic level ~3.6)
BreedingShell/mud-tunnel substrate spawnerSmall clutch; exact count undocumented in the primary literature
Sexual dimorphismYesMarked size dimorphism: males clearly larger (~5.5 cm) than females (~3.5 cm); males display vivid dark vertical bars that intensify during aggression and courtship; females are plainer and less strongly marked
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chimba population

Lamprologus signatus "Chimba" is the Chimba population of Lamprologus signatus, a geographic colour form from the Zambia coast of Lake Tanganyika in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Lamprologus signatus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Chimba fish at tanganyika.si →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Lamprologus signatus "Chimba"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — species record for signatus, Lamprologus (Poll 1952)
  3. FishBase — Lamprologus signatus summary
  4. FishBase — Lamprologus signatus point map / GBIF occurrence data
  5. GBIF — Neolamprologus signatus taxon record
  6. IUCN Red List — Neolamprologus signatus (Haambiya, L., 2025)