Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Mylochromis mollis

Mylochromis mollis "Chimwalani Reef"

Chimwalani Reef — cheem-wah-LAH-nee 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 Mylochromis mollis account →

Specific to Chimwalani 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 Mylochromis mollis.

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6.5 in16 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 536 ppm
Depth—not recorded
DietBenthic sediment/invertebrate feeder (genus-typical; not documented specifically for this species)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooder (presumed, genus-typical)Not documented; a few dozen eggs plausible by comparison with similarly sized congeners
Sexual dimorphismYesGenus-typical: territorial breeding males develop bright nuptial coloration; females and non-breeding males cryptic. Not documented in detail for this species.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chimwalani Reef population

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

Colour reference: living Chimwalani Reef fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Mylochromis mollis is a sand-associated haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, belonging to a genus of elongate, long-snouted "haps" that forage over the lake's sandy floor. Its species name — Latin for "soft" or "gentle" — most likely describes some aspect of its texture, colouration, or demeanour, though the precise reference has not been confirmed here. It is documented from Thumbi West Island, a well-studied site in the Lake Malawi National Park area near Cape Maclear.

Full Mylochromis mollis account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Mylochromis mollis "Chimwalani Reef"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — online database (authority for valid fish names; genus Mylochromis, Regan 1920)
  3. Derijst, E. & Snoeks, J. (1992) — Maravichromis Eccles and Trewavas, 1989, a junior synonym of Mylochromis Regan, 1920. Cybium 16(2): 173
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; genus Mylochromis)