Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Placidochromis milomo

Placidochromis milomo "Mbenji Island"

Mbenji Island — m-BEHN-jee EYE-land (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 Mbenji Island

  • 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 Mbenji Island population

Placidochromis milomo "Mbenji Island" is the Mbenji Island population of Placidochromis milomo, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the south-central 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 Mbenji Island 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 "Mbenji Island"
  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.