Melanochromis mossambiquensis "Nkolongwe"
Melanochromis mossambiquensis (Chilucha Reef, Metangula, Minos Reef, Nkolongwe)
Nkolongwe — n-koh-LOHN-gweh (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 Melanochromis mossambiquensis account →Specific to Nkolongwe
- 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 Melanochromis mossambiquensis.
The Nkolongwe population
Melanochromis mossambiquensis "Nkolongwe" is the Nkolongwe population of Melanochromis mossambiquensis, a geographic colour form from the Mozambique coast of Lake Malawi in the south-central part of the lake. It is the same species as Melanochromis mossambiquensis, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.
Colour reference: living Nkolongwe fish at malawi.si →
About the species
Melanochromis mossambiquensis is a rock-dwelling mbuna from the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, documented from sites in the stretch of lakefront that lies within Mozambique — the geography behind its species name. It belongs to Melanochromis, a genus best known in the hobby for bold horizontal-striped species such as M. auratus, and shares the genus's mix of algae grazing and more opportunistic, occasionally aggressive feeding habits.
Full Melanochromis mossambiquensis account →