Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Placidochromis milomo

Placidochromis milomo "Mandalawi Reef"

Mandalawi Reef — mahn-dah-LAH-wee 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 Placidochromis milomo account →

Specific to Mandalawi 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 Placidochromis milomo.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2018
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size7.4 in18.7 cm standard length
Temperature73–79 °F23–26 °C
pH8–8.5alkaline
Depth13–115 ft4–35 m
DietCrevice suction-feeder; insect larvae, crustaceans
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot precisely documented in the wild; genus-typical for large Malawi haps; fry ~1–1.5 cm at release
Sexual dimorphismYesDominant males develop intense blue colouration and extended dorsal, anal and pelvic fin rays; females and subdominant males are similar in colour and pattern, with broad vertical bars on a silver-tan ground.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mandalawi Reef population

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

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

About the species

Placidochromis milomo is a large haplochromine cichlid endemic to the rocky shores of Lake Malawi, best known in the hobby as the 'Super VC-10' — a name coined by exporter Peter Davies in reference to the fish's explosive, jet-like speed when startled, likened to the VC-10 airliner known for its rapid climb. The species' defining feature is its dramatically swollen, fleshy lips, which the fish presses like a gasket over rock surfaces to suck out the invertebrates hiding beneath a thin layer of sediment. Most Malawi haplochromines ('haps') glide over open sand or open water; Placidochromis milomo haunts the deep, sediment-dusted rock faces from just below the surface to 35 m, and its lips tell the whole story of how it earns a living there.

Full Placidochromis milomo account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Placidochromis milomo "Mandalawi Reef"
  2. FishBase — Placidochromis milomo (Super VC-10 hap)
  3. GBIF — Placidochromis milomo Oliver, 1989 (taxon key 2372618)
  4. Eccles, D.H. & Trewavas, E. (1989). Malawian Cichlid Fishes: The Classification of Some Haplochromine Genera. Lake Fish Movies, Herten, Germany. pp. 1–334.
  5. ETYFish Project — Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE (p–y) v. 20.0, 23 April 2026
  6. Fryer, G. & Iles, T.D. (1972). The Cichlid Fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa: Their Biology and Evolution. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.