Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe"

Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" "Charo"Metriaclima sp. "Zebra Ruarwe"

Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" (Charo, Hora Mhango, Mphanga Rocks, Ruarwe)

Charo — CHAH-roh (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 Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" account →

Specific to Charo

  • 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 Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesMaylandia greshakeidescribed as Pseudotropheus (Maylandia) greshakei Meyer & Förster 1984
Scientific size4.5 in11 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 446 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth10–72 ft3–22 m
DietAufwuchs grazer (herbivore; genus-typical for zebra-complex Maylandia)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooder (polygynous; no pair bond)not documented for this form; genus-typical broods run roughly 10-30 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesColour not documented for this specific form beyond the zebra-complex pattern; males of the complex typically show blue ground colour with dark vertical barring, females plainer.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Charo population

Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" "Charo" is the Charo population of Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the northern part of the lake. It is the same species as Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Charo fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" is an undescribed mbuna named for the fishing village of Ruarwe on Lake Malawi's remote north-western shore, one of four documented collection points spread along a roughly 43 mi run of rocky coast. It is known only by its trade name, with no formal description, and its specific colouration and behaviour have not been separately documented from the wider Maylandia zebra complex to which it belongs.

Full Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" "Charo"
  2. malawi.si — Maylandia sp. "Zebra Ruarwe" locality records (Konings/Bauer database)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Lake Malawi cichlid reference (Ad Konings et al.)
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